


The One Percent

by hellraisin



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: (and then post arc-reactor), Abusive Parents, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Best Friends, First Kiss, Flirty Tony, Hurt! Tony, Hurt/Comfort, Loki is a dick, M/M, Natasha & Tony bromance, Oblivious Bruce, Oblivious Tony, Pining, Pre-Arc Reactor, implied sex in later chapters, slow-burn, terrible fathers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-15
Updated: 2013-10-30
Packaged: 2017-12-30 23:31:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1024686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellraisin/pseuds/hellraisin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You tried to out drink Thor, and then started dancing on the table." Bruce chuckled.</p><p>"Really? I bet you loved that. Were you trying to shove dollars in my underpants?" Tony winked. </p><p>"I totally would have done if you'd been wearing any."</p><p>--</p><p>Or the one where Bruce and Tony are best friends in High School, and despite being permanent members of the 'We Have Terrible Fathers' Club, absolutely oblivious about each other, and arguing about stupid things, maybe things might turn out for the best.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Important Cofactors

It just wasn’t fair. It was only Monday morning, and Tony was already in trouble. He was pretty sure that Fury had it in for him – the guy never liked him. Tony Stark; genius, billionaire’s son, flirt and class clown, was now the principal’s number one enemy. He hadn’t even done anything wrong yet. Yet. But Fury had called him into his office, first thing in the morning to give him a warning.

“Only a month until prom, Stark. I don’t want any more trouble from you, else you won’t be going.” He’d said, arms folding as he stared Tony down.

“Well we can’t be having that. I’d be letting too many girls down, sir. What’s the limit on number of dates, can I ask?”

“Tony, I’m serious. Behave yourself, or no prom. Now don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” So Tony had left, rolling his eyes and opening the door with a sigh. He walked out into the corridor, into the busy rush of school-kids running about, before bumping – with quite an impeccable force – into someone.

“Tony, you jerk.” Bruce grinned as he turned to face the teen.

 “I’m the jerk? You bumped into me, jackass.” He winked.

“Psh, whatever. You planned it.”

“Oh totally. I schedule my entire day around your whereabouts so I know where to crash land.”

“Knew it.” Bruce teased. “What you got next, hot shot?”

“Workshop. And you’ve got biology.”

“How did you know tha-“

“I know everything.” Tony smirked. Bruce just narrowed his eyes and nodded. “So... It’s my birthday this weekend, Banner. You coming to my party?”

“Uh...” Bruce started, his face scrunching up a little, “I don’t know Tony... I’m not a party person, you know that.”

“You managed to come to Thor’s little booze fest last Halloween.”

“Yeah, and that went _really_ well.”

“I don’t remember it being that ba-“

“Tony, you had so much to drink, you probably don’t remember it at all.” He snorted.

“Yeah, that’s true. Remind me?”

“You tried to out drink Thor, and then started dancing on the table.” Bruce chuckled.

“Really? I bet you loved that. Were you trying to shove dollars in my underpants?” Tony winked.

“I totally would have done if you’d been wearing any. You started stripping too.” Bruce said with a raised eyebrow, and Tony let out a hearty laugh.

“You’re lucky I didn’t try to come on to you, Brucey. Wait until you see my moves.”

“... Tony, you start every day by coming on to me.”

“Yeah but that’s just a warm up. You haven’t seen me properly coming on to you yet. Notice the yet.” Bruce just rolled his eyes again, but the smirk was still on his face. “So... you coming?”

“When is it?” He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Friday night, big guy. 7 o’clock. You up for it?” Tony grinned. He always got his way with Bruce, but the other boy’s face had dropped.

“I uh... I can’t do Fridays. Not at 7 anyway. Might drop by later I suppose.” A shrug.

“What’re you doing? What could possibly be more important than me, Banner? You’re meant to answer to my every beck and call.”

“I’m not your servant Tony.”

“Maybe not, but let’s face it... You’d look good in a maid costume.” Tony winked, before the bell rang. Bruce just chuckled and shook his head.

“You’re an idiot. I’ll give you your present at school, Tony. I can’t go to your party. Anyway,” Bruce murmured, hoisting his bag over one shoulder and starting to back away, “Biology.”

“Psh. Spoilsport. Fine, whatever. I’ll meet you at lunch, big guy.” Tony smirked, heading in the other direction.

“Have fun in workshop!” Bruce shouted after him, and Tony turned around to wink at him before continuing to walk. Bruce smiled to himself as he set off towards the biology classroom. He wished that he could go to Tony’s party, but 7 o’clock on a Friday just wasn’t a good time for him. That was when he saw his counsellor. The school had recommended that Bruce got a guidance counsellor for his anger issues, but he’d made sure that none of his friends knew. And god forbid, he never told his dad. He’d bike up to the therapist’s office himself, for fear of his father ever finding out. He always told him he was going to the library for work, not that the man cared – he was always drunk.

 

* * *

 

 

The rest of the morning went pretty fast, and soon it was lunchtime. Bruce immediately grabbed a table, and pulled out his packed lunch. He always made his own food, partly because he wanted to avoid school canteen food, and partly because he didn’t really have the money to buy himself a $2 sandwich every day.

“Earth to Banner?” Clint’s voice suddenly asked. Bruce looked around and saw that Natasha and Clint had sat down beside him, and he hadn’t even realised.

“Sorry, Clint... Wasn’t with it then.”

“Yeah, we noticed.” Natasha smirked, settling down on the chair beside Clint, leaning into his side a little. The pair had been together for just over a year, and Bruce was glad that they didn’t publicly display their affection aside from the subtleties of leaning on one another.

“What did you have this morning?” Bruce asked the pair.

“Well, Tasha had drama and dance, and I had two free periods so I went down to the gym.” Clint chuckled, taking a bite of the school pizza he’d picked up. Bruce nodded, as if to say he approved of those lessons. “You?”

“Double biology.” He smiled, picking up his cheese sandwich and taking a bite.

“Sounds great.”

“It was pretty good. We were doing about genetics and stuff, and we learnt about the nucleotides, which are like the building blocks for DNA, and it was really fascinating, I’m not gonna lie. Did you know that it’s because of your nucleotides that you have either a slow or fast metabolism? And they’re very important cofactors in enzymatic reactions such-... You’re not listening are you?”

“Not at all.” Natasha grinned through a bite of her apple. “Watch out, here comes the football team.” Bruce turned around to see the eleven meaty looking players walking through the canteen in tight fitting shirts and shorts. He quickly turned back to his food, much to the amusement of Natasha, although Clint didn’t bat an eyelid. Seemed like Natasha already knew – without even needing to be told – that Bruce was attracted to guys. Within a matter of moments, Thor and Steve turned up at the table, taking a seat next to Natasha.

“Hey guys.” Steve smiled as he sat down; that dazzling smile that makes the girls swoon, but he doesn’t even know. Steve seemed to be completely oblivious to sexual attraction.

“Hey, Steve. Thor.” Clint nodded to each of them, turning back to his pizza. Bruce offered them a shy smile, but kept his head down.

“Ah, my friends. Steven has done excellent on the field today. You would be most proud.” Thor beamed, but not sitting down, instead turning around to go towards the canteen to buy his food. Clint looked over to Steve with a raised eyebrow.

“Why does he talk so weird?”

“Don’t be a jerk. He’s not that bad.” Natasha grunted, nudging Clint playfully. “You know he’s not from around here.”

“Well where the hell is he from? Shakespeare-land?”

“I don’t know. Shut up.”

“Ooh, Clint’s getting into trouble with the missus.” Bruce chuckled, getting a smile from Steve, and a death glare from Natasha.

“What’s he done now?” Tony’s voice rung out as he settled down beside Bruce, a full tray of food in his hands.

“Just talking about Thor, no biggie.” Clint shrugged, before looking at Tony’s tray. “Jesus, Stark, how much food do you need?”

“It’s not all for me, jackass.”

“What are you pregnant or something? Eating for two?”

“No, birdbrain, it’s for Bruce.” Bruce looked up at him.

“M-me? Why are you buying food for me, Tony? I have a sandwich.” He stammered.

“Yeah but I can’t stand watching you eat that crap. You need some proper food. So I got you some pizza, and juice, and a tub of ice cream. Vegetarian pizza, naturally.” Tony grinned as he put the plates out in front of Bruce, and moving his hand to ruffle his hair as he grabbed his own slice of pepperoni pizza and tucked in.

“Thanks.” He smiled, nodding gently as he finished the cheese sandwich and picking up the pizza.

“Aw. This is too cute.” Natasha smirked, leaning her head on Clint’s shoulder as she watched Tony and Bruce. Tony just raised an eyebrow at her, and Bruce blushed slightly.

“Where did Thor go? We’re back at practice in twenty minutes, and we all know the amount of food he buys will take about two hours to eat.” Steve grumbled.

“Not for him it won’t. He’ll practically inhale it.” Tony laughed, and the others chuckled along with him. “You guys all coming to my party this weekend?”

“Sure thing. When’s it start?”

“Seven.”

“Great. We’ll be there, right, Nat?” Clint smiled, nudging her slightly.

“Only if you’re driving us there.”

“Obviously. Wouldn’t want my little angel in the back of anyone else’s car, hm?” He winked.

“Ew, Jesus you guys, get a room.” Tony grumbled, screwing his face up.

“I think it’s sweet.” Steve smiled, earning a sour look from Tony.

“Well you would, Captain Virginity.”

“Tony...” Bruce warned, giving him a stern look. Tony looked back at Bruce with an exasperated expression.

“Ooh, Tony’s in trouble with the missus.” Natasha winked.

 

* * *

 

 

When the bell went at the end of school, Bruce headed out of the building with his bag slumped over his back, heading towards the bike-sheds to get his bicycle, putting his helmet on before starting to cycle out. He heard the beep of a horn behind him, and turned around to see Tony’s Audi pulling up beside him.

“You’re not going home with that helmet on. Your hair will stick up.” He teased.

“I’m not going home without it – what if I crash?”

“You won’t crash if you get in my car.”

“My parents always told me never to get in the car with strange men.”

“I prefer the term ‘mad scientist’ to strange, but y’know. Whatever works. Now put the bike in the back and get in.” Tony smiled. He always got his way with Bruce. The boy rolled his eyes and hopped off the bike, shoving it into the trunk before clambering in beside Tony.

“Happy now, mad scientist?” He asked, raising on eyebrow.

“On second thought, I’m more of an engineer than a scientist.” Tony smirked as he pulled out of the parking lot and onto the New York streets.

“No, Tony, you’re a school-kid. You’re not really anything yet.”

“Excuse me? You do know I’m going to MIT as soon as finals are over, right? That makes me a certified genius. To be honest, I should be there already. Mom said I could have been there since 15.” He grinned.

“Right. I’m sure that’s right, but y’know. Imagine how different life would have been if you hadn’t come to this school though.” Bruce shrugged.

“I know. You’d be lost without me.”

“I’m sure we’d still be in touch, Tony. I don’t think I could forget about you after you strolled up to me on the first day of fourth grade and told me that seeing as we were the only two to get over 100 marks in the math tests, we were officially best friends.”

“You still remember that?”

“You kidding? It was one of the most defining moments of elementary school. Except for when you used to chase me around the playground trying to kiss me.” Bruce chuckled.

“See, if only you’d slowed down a bit. We could have spent the last eight years connected at the mouth.” Tony winked, pulling up outside Bruce’s house and switching off the engine.

“And I’m sure you’d have loved that.”

“Damn straight. Now get out. I’ll see you in the morning, big guy.”

“Sure. See ya, Tony.” Bruce smiled, hopping out of the car and moving to get his bike out of the trunk. Tony watched the boy go inside the house, waving at him every time he turned around. He smiled to himself as the door closed, starting up the car again. He paused for a minute when he heard raised voices coming from the house, but he shrugged it off and set off to Stark Mansion.

 

* * *

 

 

Bruce wasn’t in school for the next two days.

When he finally came in on Thursday, he hobbled into Physics, one of the only lessons he had with Tony, with a black eye and a busted lip. He settled down beside Tony in silence, pressed his lips in a thin line and trying not to make eye contact. The rest of the class were engrossed in their work, but Tony hadn’t stopped staring at Bruce.

“What the fuck happened to you?” He whispered, trying not to attract attention to them.

“Doesn’t matter, Tony.”

“Where have you been? Who did this to you?”

“Tony, drop it. It really doesn’t matter.” Bruce murmured. “Stop acting like it’s the first time I’ve ever come in with a black eye.”

“Yeah but someone’s obviously picking on you. Who’s done this to you? Is Betty Ross’s big brother beating you up again?”

“No, no it’s nothing. Tony, just leave it. I’m fine. It’s just a few bruises.”

“A few bruises and a limp. I saw the way you walked in here. Have you at least been to the hospital?” Tony asked, his brow furrowed.

“No. I don’t need to. It’s okay.” He muttered, shaking his head as he got out his physics book.

“I’m taking you to the hospital in the free period this afternoon. No buts. And I’m gonna find out who did this to you.” Tony said firmly, and Bruce just sighed.

“Tony, don’t do-“

“No, Bruce. This has gone on for too long. I’m gonna find out who it is and I’m gonna screw them up, okay? They’re gonna have to go through me if they think they’re gonna get to you again.”

“You really don’t have t-“

“Yes I do. I have to help you. I don’t like seeing you like this, Bruce. How many times has it been now? I’m gonn-“

“Tony, it’s my dad! Okay? It’s my fucking dad.” 


	2. A Nuisance

“Your... your dad did this to you?” Tony murmured, his mouth gaping open. When Bruce had admitted his father had hit him, he’d turned to face him for the first time during their conversation. A few of the other students in the physics class had turned to face them, but Tony didn’t think they’d heard what exactly was going on.

“Yeah. It’s not a big deal, okay? Just... don’t worry about it.” Bruce shrugged, turning back to his physics book and jotting down the notes on the board.

“How can I not worry about it? You’ve just admitted that your own dad is beating you up every night, how can I jus-“

“It’s not every night, Tony. It’s when he’s drunk.”

“...So every night then.” Tony grunted, and Bruce looked at him sternly.

“See this is why I never told you. You’re my best friend and I trust you with everything but... you really don’t need to worry about this. This is _my_ business – my burden to bear. You don’t need to worry.” He said firmly, before turning back to his work. Tony looked at Bruce for a moment before turning back to his own book and checking over his perfectly answered questions. They sat in silence for a few minutes; the only sound was a sharp intake of breath from Tony when he clutched at his chest. After a moment, the teacher turned around to go through the answers – and both of them got all the questions right. When she set them off on another set of questions, Tony leaned into Bruce again.

“Come to my party. I know you can’t because you’re... doing something, or whatever, but if it gets you out of the house; it can’t be that bad, right? ... You need to get away from him, Brucey, even if it’s only for a little bit. You can stay the night if you want. Please.”  Bruce stayed silent for a few moments before looking over at Tony.

“Tony... It’s your 17th birthday. You don’t want to spend the entire day with me. It’s just because you feel sorry for me. I don’t need your pity.”

“Pity? Bruce, I’m infamous for being cold-hearted. I don’t feel sympathy for anyone.” Tony deadpanned, although there was a smile on his face, and he nudged into Bruce’s side gently. “Come on. Say you’ll think about it.”

Another long pause.

“I’ll think about it.” Bruce nodded, nudging Tony back with a shy smile, and quickly wincing when it hurt his split lip. “But don’t bet on it. Like I said, I’m going out tomorrow night.”

“Oooh. Got a date?” Tony winked.

“Yeah, ‘cause I’d totally be going out looking like this.” He gestured to his face.

“Well I dunno. Still look sexy as fuck to me.”

“Yeah well, you’d screw anything with a pulse. Or without, if you were desperate.”

“... I’m not sure whether to be offended that you think so lowly of me, or flattered that you know me so well.” Tony smirked.

“You’re unbelievable.”

 

* * *

 

 

The next day was the night of Tony’s party. Bruce hadn’t gone straight away – he had to see his counsellor – but he’d told himself that if he got out of there relatively early, he might stop by. He never liked the room. His counsellor, Maria Hill, was a lovely lady but the room just made Bruce feel uncomfortable. Four plain white walls, a white armchair and a white sofa for him to lie on. Bruce was used to plain surroundings, but every time he spoke to his counsellor, he felt like he was in a winter wonderland. He knew it was all for professional purposes, but in a place where he was supposed to be made to feel at home, he just felt like he was being watched – which in theory, he was.

The appointment flew by, and before Bruce knew it, they’d finished at only half eight. Maria had asked a lot about the bruises, but Bruce just played up to his ‘anger issues’ and told her that he’d gotten into a fight over something stupid. She believed it, or at least she seemed to, but Maria seemed to know everything without having to be told – Bruce often wondered if she was related to Natasha. They’d agreed that because Bruce’s condition was improving, they’d only have to meet once a fortnight now, and thanking her, he left.

Bruce cycled home to find his Dad passed out on the couch in the living room, so he tiptoed upstairs to get changed into a dark pair of jeans, a dark green t-shirt and a purple pullover. Grabbing a backpack full of clean clothes for the next day and Tony’s present, he set back off on his bike and into the night, as hard as it was to ride with a gift under his arm. He arrived at the party by half nine (it was quite the trek from the counsellor’s office), and instantly regretted coming. He could hear the beat of the music from all the way down the street, and it got louder and louder as he rode towards it. It wasn’t even Tony’s usual AC/DC or Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin or any other classic rock – it was hip-hop. Bruce could see blaring lights from the windows of the house, so Tony had obviously turned his house into a rave again. He sighed as he slid off his bike, wheeling it over to the spot beside the garage where he usually chained it up, and taking his helmet off, shaking his brown curls out like a dog.

He took a deep breath and opened the front door, to see at least forty people in the cramped hallway, all dancing and grinding to the beat with glasses of god knows what in their hands. Bruce sighed to himself and tried to manoeuvre his way through the crowd, ignoring the sweaty hands that were all over him as he made his way into the front room. But when he got there he wished he hadn’t bothered.

Tony’s living room was obviously the couples retreat. Anyone who’d paired up, had scampered off to that room to make out, and Bruce was pretty sure that the image of at least 12 different couples kissing furiously in the same room was burned into his head. He was pretty sure that he could see Clint and Natasha in the corner, and Thor was right at the back of the room with some dark haired girl, but he couldn’t see her face. Bruce didn’t wanna spend any longer in the room, so he quickly shuffled back out into the crowded hallway with a sigh. Where was Tony?

He headed towards the kitchen, and found Steve leaning against the fridge surrounded by at least five drunk girls with their hands all over him – and the football captain had never looked more out of place. He waved awkwardly to Bruce when he spotted him, but his face was flushed and the girls were still closing in on him. Bruce grabbed himself a cup and looked at the alcohol free punch, but quickly realised the likelihood of there actually being no alcohol in there and headed to the fridge to get some fresh juice. He walked back out into the hallway and moved up the stairs, trying to juggle the juice cup and Tony’s present as he clambered up the stairs and through the sweaty crowd of dancing teenagers.

He found his way up to Tony’s bedroom, but paused at the door. God knows what would be happening in there - and it might not even be Tony. Bruce decided he’d check the bedrooms last, just in case. He moved to the bathroom and put his hand on the door handle, but quickly moved away when he heard the sound of someone throwing up. He didn’t need to see that. He found the study, and after a moment’s hesitation, worrying that Tony’s dad might be in there – he remembered that there were no cars on the driveway, so his parents were out. He went inside and it was just like the hallway, full of dancing people, but none of them were Tony. Bruce sighed to himself before walking back over to Tony’s bedroom, when he remembered there was one place he’d forgotten to look. He drained his juice cup and flung it in the nearest bin, before bolting back down the stairs and opening the cupboard underneath the winding staircase. He made sure no-one was following him before he headed down to Tony’s lab-workshop, and quickly found Tony stumbling around with a bottle in his hand.

“Bruuceeey!” Tony slurred when he noticed the teen behind him, walking over and pulling him into an uncoordinated hug, patting his back. “You came after all! Aw, you’re brilliant, y’know?”

“You’ve told me many a time.” Bruce smiled, putting the present down on Tony’s desk, and shifting his backpack off and on to the floor. “What are you doing down here? Hiding from your own party guests?”

“Well, I wanted to come do drunk science but then I realised that no-one knew how to science except you, so I came to do it by myself.”

“That’s not really a good idea. What if stuff goes wrong and no-one even knows you’re down here? You could set the place on fire, Tony. Wouldn’t be the first time.” He warned.

“Well, yeah but... Shut up, Bruce. Let go! Have a little fun for once. You want some vodka? Nat brought this with her – it’s better than the expensive crap we buy.” Tony beamed, holding out the half empty bottle for Bruce, but he could barely keep his balance. Bruce took the bottle and set it down on the desk.

“I think you’ve had a little too much, Tony. Come on. At least you’re gonna be safe with me now.”

“Not necessarily.”

“What do you mean?”

“How do I know you won’t take advantage of me?” Tony purred, shuffling closer to Bruce and leaning into him.

“I’ll try and control myself.”

“Aw but you’re always keeping control of yourself... I think just once, you should just do what you want.”

“Tony... Behave.” Bruce said sternly as Tony looped an arm around his waist, batting it away. “You’re drunk, and I’m here to look after you. Not... whatever you’ve got in mind.”

“Aren’t you sleeping over tonight though? I told you that you could.”

“Yeah, I am. But don’t get any ideas. I’m just gonna make sure you don’t get alcohol poisoning, and then I’m going to cook you up a nice hangover cure in the morning.”

“Does making me breakfast count as a date, Banner? Because sleeping in my bed _before_ a date is looked down on – it’s not good etiquette.” Tony smirked, leaning into Bruce again. Bruce pulled out a stool and helped Tony on to it, before pulling one out for himself.

“Breakfast is not a date. Just because your idea of a date is cheap, doesn’t mean mine is.”

“Then let me take you out.”

“What?”

“... Let me take you out on a date. Ever tried shawarma?”

“Tony, don’t be an ass. Shawarma isn’t a good date food anyway-... Can we stop talking about dates? We’re not going on a date.” Bruce frowned, although his cheeks were a little flushed. “Besides, I’m not sleeping in your bed tonight either – I’ll be taking the camp-bed like I usually do.”

“Ah, see there’s the problem. I didn’t know if you were coming or not, so I didn’t set the bed up, and by the time everyone goes I’ll be too drunk to get it out...”

“...Well I’ll go get it then. I know where it is, I can set it u-“

“No, no... No need. You can stay in my bed. It’s a double, you might as well. I don’t bite, Banner.” Tony smiled, sliding off his stool and strolling over to Bruce, standing between his legs. Bruce’s face flushed again.

“Tony, get back on your chair.”

“Make me.” Bruce let out a sigh.

“You’re a nuisance.”

“You love it.”

“... You could probably be on your death bed and still be flirting with me, huh?”

“Oh this isn’t flirting, Banner. I’ve told you, you haven’t seen my moves yet.” Tony corrected, still stood between Bruce’s legs.

“And hopefully, I’ll never have to see them. Now get away.” Bruce smirked, moving his foot to Tony’s chest and gently pushing him away. Tony winced in pain and clutched at his chest but Bruce shrugged it off – he was probably being overdramatic. Bruce was interrupted by Pepper banging on the door of the lab. “Uh... Come in?”

“Bruce... Bruce, Tony... Holy shit. Uh... Tony’s dad’s come back and he’s throwing everyone out.” Pepper babbled, looking at Bruce instead of Tony – whether she knew Bruce was the only responsible one, or whether things were sour between her and Tony was anyone’s guess.

“Crap. Okay uh... We’ll be right up. Just make sure everyone gets out safely okay?” Bruce nodded, before turning back to Tony, who had wormed his way back in-between his legs, much to Pepper’s dismay. “Tony, come on... Your dad’s back. We’ve gotta go upstairs. Come on.” He murmured, leaping off his chair and grabbing his backpack before heading towards the exit. Tony stayed by the chair so Bruce rolled his eyes, walking over and grabbing the boy’s hand before pulling him up the staircase towards the busy hallway of dancing teenagers. He opened the door to find the place was practically empty – a few kids were still leaving but other than that, Tony’s dad had obviously thrown everyone out. Bruce sighed to himself before pulling Tony, who by now was completely out of it, up the stairs and towards his own room. He put his hand on the doorknob but he couldn’t turn it. “Tony, your room’s locked from the inside. Is someone still in there?”

“Nope. Just didn’t want anyone going in my room. JARVIS?” Tony asked towards the ceiling, his words still slurred. Bruce heard the click of the door unlocking, and raised an eyebrow as he opened the door to a perfectly pristine room with no mess whatsoever.

“Right. Bed. It’s half eleven, Tony.”

“Aw, Brucey... that’s early!”

“I know. But if you sleep now, you’ll feel better in the morning. Trust me. Now get your clothes off and put some pajamas on.” Bruce ordered before whipping the backpack off his shoulders and rooting around for his own PJs.

“Knew you just wanted me to get naked.” Tony smirked. “Actually, I think I might be too drunk, and you might have to strip my clothes off for me.” Bruce raised an eyebrow.

“You’re not funny. Now get changed.” He murmured as he quickly stripped his jeans off and pulled on a pair of shorts, taking off the cardigan and t-shirt and replacing it with a dark grey shirt. Tony was sat on his bed, still looking at Bruce with dark eyes as he watched him change, but he was brought back to his senses when he saw the number of bruises and scars on Bruce’s torso.

“Bruce... your back...” He murmured incoherently.

“Yeah, I know. It’s fine. Come on, hop to it. Get changed.” Bruce smiled shyly, trying not to think about what Tony had just seen, and moving to sit on Tony’s bed. Tony hobbled around the room, taking items of clothing off – he had obviously tried to make it sexy by keeping eye contact with Bruce and removing his clothes slowly, but the way he was staggering around made it about as arousing as a newborn foal. Bruce just chuckled to himself and then averted his eyes, and before he knew it, Tony had flopped down onto the bed beside him in a black wife-beater and a pair of very tight boxers. Bruce tried to avert his eyes again but he wasn’t so successful – he just hoped that Tony was too drunk to notice.

“Knew you’d like what you see.” Tony smirked as he got in the covers and turned his bedside light off, nestling down.

“Shut up, dick.” Bruce defended himself, although the grin was still on his face as he mirrored Tony’s actions, snuggling into the pillows and turning his own light off. “Happy Birthday, Tony.” He murmured softly, but he got no response – Tony was already out cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drunk Tony is the best Tony.
> 
> Kudos and comments?


	3. We Could Have Made It Eleven

Tony awoke in the late morning to the sound of something being put down on the table beside him, and the smell of bacon. He rolled over towards the smell and inhaled deeply.

“Fuck, that’s good.” He grunted without even opening his eyes, and he heard a little chuckle in response.

“Get up, lazy-ass. It’s nearly twelve...” Bruce smiled, and Tony’s eyes shot open.

“Brucey! You made me breakfast in bed? ... That totally means you want me.” He smirked as he stretched himself out, before wincing in pain and clutching at his chest for a moment. He shrugged it off and sat up in the bed.

“Guess again, dumbass. I’m just looking after you because you’ve probably got a killer hangover.” Bruce said sternly as he sat beside Tony, passing him a glass of water and a couple of tablets. “Take these. You’ll need ‘em.” He nodded. Tony smiled and rolled his eyes before downing the tablets and the water, putting the glass back on the side.

“Breakfast!” He ordered, almost like a child. Bruce sighed and passed him the plate with the greasy breakfast on it; toast, bacon, sausages, eggs, baked beans. Tony made a salivating noise that sounded like Homer from The Simpsons. “Jesus, it looks even better than it smells.”

“Yeah well, I figured you’d need something greasy. Plus, you barely eat in the mornings so I figured this could do you a whole load of good. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, y’know.” Bruce grinned.

“I know, I know. Who are you? Doctor freaking Banner or something?” Tony grunted as he stuffed a slice of toast into his mouth, although he couldn’t help but smile when he heard Bruce chuckling.

“So... Today will be your official first day as a seventeen year old.” Bruce grinned.

“I know. I’m gonna go donate blood and drive a helicopter,” he grinned through a mouthful of food. “So how was the party? Did everyone love it?”

“Uh... I’m pretty sure they would have done if your dad hadn’t come home and thrown everyone out, Tony. He looked pretty pissed last night.”

“You’re kidding me? He did that? ... Fuck. What time did he come home?”

“Eleven? Half eleven? ... Pretty early really.” Bruce shrugged.

“Yeah. Well he’s a jerk. He’s never liked me anyway.”

“Tony, you can’t say that. He’s your dad.” He frowned, cocking his head to one side as he looked at Tony, who was still stuffing his face.

“Yeah we might be related, but that doesn’t stop him from being an asshole. He hates me, seriously. Never listens to me, never even talks to me unless my mom makes him. It’s like he wants nothing to do with me. Like I couldn’t make him proud or whatever, y’know?” Tony shrugged.

“I guess I can empathize with you there.” Bruce said quietly, looking down at his hands. Tony chewed the inside of his lip.

“Sorry, Bruce. I know my stuff must sound petty compared to yours. Do you... do you wanna talk about it?”

“I don’t know man. What is there to say? My dad gets drunk and he hits me. It’s not that big a deal.” Bruce shrugged.

“It kinda is, Brucey. It’s classed as child abuse, y’know. I saw your bruises last night... It’s probably the only thing I actually remember. It _is_ a big deal.” Tony spoke softly. “How long has it been going on?”

“Years. Can’t really remember an exact date but... y’know. He was always violent. Like, always. Even with...” Bruce paused and took a breath. “Even with my mom, he was violent. Before she died. It just got worse afterwards though. Like... she wasn’t there to protect me anymore. He couldn’t hit her anymore so he moved on to me.”

“Shit. I am so sorry.” Tony murmured, reaching out a hand to rest on Bruce’s shoulder. “Guess we both have crap dads, right?” He smiled.

“Yeah, I guess.” Bruce nodded, reaching his hand up to rest on top of Tony’s. Tony looked at him for a moment before pulling his hand away and finishing his breakfast, putting the empty plate on the side.

“What are you doing today then, Banner?” He grinned, trying to change the topic.

“Well I thought I might go home and bleach my brain out so I forget most of the stuff from last night.” Bruce chuckled.

“Oh shit, yeah. What else happened?”

“Well, everyone used your living room as like, the number one place to make out. There had to be at least ten couples in there. It was disgusting.”

“Aw damn. You should have come to find me, we could have made it eleven.” Tony winked. Bruce just rolled his eyes.

“Then I heard someone throwing up in the bathroom so... that was fun. And oh my god, you should have seen Steve. He was getting groped by all these girls, and he looked _so_ uncomfortable, it was hilarious.” Bruce laughed, and Tony laughed with him.

“Holy shit, that sounds amazing. What else happened?”

“Well I came down to the lab looking for you because you’d insisted on doing ‘drunk science’, and I tried to sit you down on a chair because you were stumbling around. I sat down as well, and you decided it would be a good time to come stand right in-between my legs, literally just as Pepper walked in. She didn’t look happy. But that’s pretty much it.”

“Yeah she wouldn’t be happy. She’s never freakin’ happy.” Tony grunted, rolling his eyes. “Since we broke up like two months ago, I don’t think I’ve seen her smile once. And I don’t mean she’s miserable because of me, I just think that she’s a really fucking grumpy person.” He sighed.

“Two months? Jesus, it feels like only yesterday that she broke up with you. How long were you together?”

“Just under a year. No big deal. I mean, she said I spent way too much time with you guys so... She didn’t wanna be second best anymore.” Tony shrugged.

“Fair enough.” Bruce nodded, looking down at his hands and wringing them again.

“Well, as I was saying... If you’re not doing anything today, you can always stay a while. We’ll science together seeing as I was incapable last night,” he grinned.

“Science isn’t a verb Tony.”

“Not the point.”

“Well, sure... That sounds good to me. Meet you in the lab in ten? You need to get yourself dressed, hot shot.” Bruce chuckled, standing up from the bed and heading towards the door.

“Sure. See you there.”

 

* * *

 

 

Tony didn’t take long to get down to the lab – he made it in 6 minutes. Science seemed to be the only thing that could successfully pry him from his bed, and science with Bruce only made it better. It wasn’t hard to tell that Tony _liked_ Bruce. He was pretty sure that most people knew just by looking at them. He hadn’t told anyone – he had a reputation to uphold, plus he didn’t need his homophobic dad finding out – but he was sure that a lot of people knew anyway. Well, a lot of people excluding Bruce. Tony had flirted with Bruce every day for eight years, and he’d never gotten anywhere, but it didn’t stop him from giving up. Even when he got with Pepper, it didn’t stop him putting Bruce first – which was mostly why Pepper left him. Maybe one day he’d have the courage to actually tell Bruce how he felt, but for now, he was happy just being friends.

He got down to the lab and found Bruce pottering around in the chemical cupboard. They made a few chemical reactions and set a few things on fire, successfully exploding a third of the lab in the process. But that didn’t matter; Tony could replace it all with the drop of a hat. After a few more hours of ‘blowing shit up’, and Tony having to stop every 30 minutes with chest pains (although he didn’t tell Bruce because he didn’t want him to worry), they went up to the kitchen for a bite to eat. Tony decided to make the only thing he was capable of cooking – sandwiches.

“See, I _can_ cook.” Tony grinned triumphantly as he put the sandwich in his mouth and took a bite.

“Excuse me? You can _prepare_. This didn’t need cooking, Tony, it’s a sandwich. I’m surprised you didn’t manage to burn it even without putting it near a heat source.” Bruce smirked, taking a bite of his own sandwich.

“I put it near you – you’re hot.”

“Tony...” There was that stern voice again.

“What?”

“Stop it.” Bruce smirked through a mouthful of bread and cheese.

“Are you excited for prom?” Tony asked as he took another bite, watching Bruce with wide eyes.

“... Not really. It hadn’t even crossed my mind. I mean, I probably won’t be going. I can’t even dance.”

“I could teach you the tango. A horizontal tango. Naked. In my bed,” he winked, and Bruce sighed loudly.

“You’re unbelievable.”

“I know. Wanna go out somewhere after this?”

“Like where?”

“Like out,” he shrugged. “We could go to the movies. Loadsa new action films have come out recently. Or we could go see a nice girly chick flick, if you prefer.” Tony winked.

“A movie? ... Sure. But you’re paying, hot shot, I didn’t bring my wallet. And action sounds fine. I don’t like chick flicks.”

“Yeah right, I’ve seen you sobbing at The Notebook.”

“You _insisted_ we watched that. You cried as well.”

“I did not.”

“Did too.”

“They were manly tears.”

“You needed man-size Kleenex.”

“Man-size for my man tears.”

“Whatever.” Bruce smirked, before looking over at Tony with a fond expression. “A movie sounds good.”

“Good. Come on, we’ll take my car.” Tony grinned, finishing his sandwich and rubbing his hands together to get rid of the crumbs.

“Really? I thought we were gonna take my bike.” Bruce deadpanned, passing Tony his empty plate and watching as the genius put them in the dishwasher.

“You’re not funny, Banner.”

 

* * *

 

 

“I am never bringing you here again, Bruce.” Tony grumbled as he settled down into the seat at the movie theatre, a large cup of coke in one hand and a large box of popcorn in the other. “You said we could watch action.”

“The girl behind the counter said this would have action in it.”

“Bruce, action means explosions and helicopters and car chases, not a heated argument between two lovers.”

“Shut up. You brought your tissues? I bet you $10 you’ll cry.” Bruce smirked, putting his bottle of water in the cup-holder and grabbing a handful of the popcorn from Tony’s box.

“I don’t cry! I haven’t got the ability to cry. I’m made of fucking metal, I don’t cry.”

“Lies. Anyway, stop complaining, you’ll love it when it starts. There’s nothing wrong with a good romantic comedy.” He grinned, stuffing the popcorn into his mouth.

“I’ll love it when it starts? I’ve seen the trailer three times Banner, this is gonna be crap.”

“I still think you’ll cry.”

“Bet’s on, bitch.”

 

* * *

 

 

"... But seriously, when he left her? Oh god...” Tony blubbered, still sniffling as he brushed bits of popcorn off himself. “Here’s ten dollars, Brucey. Don’t spend it all at once.” He murmured, passing Bruce the note as they walked out into the brisk New York air.

“You’re such a cry-baby. I liked that film, didn’t you?”

“It wasn’t too bad. Leading lady wasn’t much to look at though.”

“No... Suppose not.” Bruce murmured.

“You should have played her.”

“Excuse me? If either of us is in touch with our feminine side, I think it’d be you, Mr Cry-a-lot.”

“Well that scene where she wore the dress? ... You’ve got the legs for that.” Tony smirked, nudging into Bruce’s side as they walked back to the parking lot.

“Not sure whether to be flattered or offended.”

“How about both and I’ll make it up to you when you finally admit that you want a piece of this?” Tony winked, gesturing to himself with a smirk.

“You’ll be waiting a while.” Bruce laughed as they reached the car, sliding into the passenger seat and offering Tony a smile as he got in beside him. Tony rolled his eyes, although the grin was still on his face, as he started up the engine and drove them out into the busy city traffic. “So, we going for a meal or something now?”

“You make it sound like this is a date, Banner, but I specifically remember last night that you told me you wouldn’t date me.” Tony smirked, keeping his eyes on the road.

“It’s not a date,” Bruce huffed, “I’m just hungry.”

“Well, we can get a drive-thru if you want, but I’m gonna have to drop you back at your house,” Tony murmured, biting his lip a little, regretting having to say that. “Sorry.”

“Oh, right.” Bruce nodded, understanding. “No, no, it’s fine. I should probably get home soon anyway. If my Dad comes round and I’m not there...”

“Yeah, I know. You know I’d let you stay at mine all weekend if I could but... I’m not feeling too good, Banner. I might just go home and sleep it off,” he nodded, and Bruce looked over with a concerned look.

“Okay. That’s not a problem. Just take me for drive-thru first and you can drop me straight off. And get well soon. I’ll send you some grapes,” he chuckled softly, nudging into Tony’s side lightly, but Tony just inhaled sharply. “Shit, are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Tony nodded, “Just.. don’t worry about it. What do you want, McDonalds?” he asked, trying desperately to change the subject as he moved his free hand to rub at his chest. Bruce got the hint and didn’t talk about it again.

“Do you know what? I’m not too bothered about drive-thru. Just drop me off at home. I’ll send you a text tomorrow, okay? Make sure you’re alright.”

“You worry too much.” Tony chuckled softly, “Just goes to show how infatuated with me you really are.” Bruce rolled his eyes.

“Shut up, Tony.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, what's wrong with Tony? Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough.
> 
> Kudos and comments?


	4. Stark Charm

Text Log: Monday, 13:35.

 

Bruce, can you email me the homework for the next week or so? I’m not coming in. – TS

... For a whole week? What, do you have the plague? –BB

Something like that. – TS

Seriously? Okay. I’ll be by after school with the homework and I’ll bring some soup. – BB

Uh, no, not quite. I’m not at home anyway. I have to have an operation. And it’s not that bad, before you get all panicky. – TS

Yeah, I don’t believe you, seeing as you won’t even go to a doctor unless it’s past life threatening and into critical condition. What’s going on? – BB

Well you know that I was having those chest pains and stuff? I have to have an operation where they’re gonna stick some kind of metal... thing into my chest. – TS

Shit. Is that actually gonna help anything? – BB

I don’t know. Do most doctors just dig a hole in your chest for the fun of it? – TS

Depends how much they’re charging you for it. When’s the op? – BB

Tomorrow I think. You can visit any time after that. Make sure you bring flowers and chocolates though. I want to feel appreciated. – TS

I’ll bring weeds from my yard and the pudding from school lunch. – BB

You’re so caring. What would I do without you? – TS

God knows. – BB

Can you imagine how awkward the changing rooms will be for gym? With this lump of fucking metal sticking out of me? ... God, I don’t even know if I can shower with it. You might have to come and give me a sponge bath. – TS

You’d like that, wouldn’t you? – BB

I’m sure you’d enjoy it just as much. – TS

No comment. Ask me again after you survive the operation. Give you something to look forward to. – BB

You didn’t deny it. – TS

You know I’m going to want to see said lump of metal, right? – BB

I’ll show you mine if you show me yours. Wink wink, nudge nudge. – TS

I didn’t think it would be possible for you to be more flirtatious through text than you are in real life. You never fail to surprise me. – BB

Never underestimate me, Banner. And I hope you’re looking forward to seeing me in a hospital gown. – TS

I’m counting down the seconds with bated breath. Just make sure you survive the operation. – BB

Do I get an incentive if I do? Like... Can I flirt with you forever? – TS

You already do, Tony. – BB

Alright then, will you flirt back? – TS

I don’t flirt unless it’s about science. – BB

Good job I’m the King of Nerdy Pick-Up-Lines. TS

Nerdy pick up lines are a thing? Man, no wonder the girls are all over you. – BB

That’s not the nerdiness. That’s the rustic Stark Charm, Banner. – TS

And that works, does it? – BB

It works on you. – TS

Oh, I’m flattered you find me worthy of the Stark Charm. – BB

You should be. Not many people get to experience it first hand, especially not on a daily basis like you do. – TS

Think I can put that on a resume? ‘Daily recipient of Stark Charm’? – BB

I don’t think it’ll help you get a job, unless you’re going to work in a strip club. Oh God, please go work in a strip club. – TS

Tony, I don’t even like changing in front of other people for gym. – BB

Aw please, Brucey! It’ll make me feel better. Or maybe just a private show, just for me. – TS

I don’t think that’ll be good for your heart. – BB

I think it will. I think it’ll be good for all of me. Could you imagine the nurse’s face tomorrow when she comes to check on me and you’re giving me a lap dance? – TS

Her face would be pretty funny. – BB

I think you should do it. For humor purposes, obviously. Not for my own... personal... benefit, ahem. And we need to stop talking about you naked. My heart monitor just blipped. – TS

See, now I’m tempted just to antagonise you because there’s nothing more obnoxious than the sound of a heart monitor with an uneven heartbeat. – BB

What have I done to deserve such punishment? I have been nothing but nice to you. I give you my undivided love and attention. – TS

Some of the things you do could be classed as sexual harassment if we weren’t so close and I didn’t mind. – BB

I knew you didn’t mind. – TS

Shut up. I’ve gotta go. Mr Coulson’s glaring at me. I’ll be over after the operation okay? – BB

Okay. Bye, sexbomb. - TS

 

* * *

 

 

Sure enough, after school the next day, Bruce padded into the reception of the hospital, and after asking a few nurses where exactly Tony was being kept, he made his way to the ward and over to Tony’s bed. Tony’s eyes lit up as he saw Bruce come in, even though he was still a little groggy from the operation.

“Brucey!” he grinned, his eyes a little half lidded as he looked at the teenager. He was wearing a hospital gown as he lay on the bed, a drip in his arm and several other wires and tubes connected to him. There was a lot of padding on his chest, and it looked like there was blood seeping through.

“Hey, hot shot. How’re you feeling?”

“Well, I’m on very, very, very, very, very strong morphine, so... I think I can see noises right now.” Tony murmured softly. Bruce rolled his eyes and sat down beside Tony’s bed, putting a box down on the table next to him.

“I brought you chocolates. Don’t know if you’re in a state to eat them yet, but they’re there when you want them,” he smiled softly, reaching over to take Tony’s hand.

“You spoil me. What happened to the weeds? I was looking forward to those.”

“Well sorry to disappoint. How’s the chest?”

“It feels really weird.” Tony chuckled softly, swallowing thickly. “It’s like, you know when you’re in a really stuffy room and you feel like you can’t breathe properly? ... It’s kinda like that. There’s something stuffy in my chest.” he mumbled. “I’ll show you the... thingy... when I’m better.” Bruce nodded to himself.

“Sure.”

“I’m all scarred, Brucey. I’m all maimed and disfigured. Will you still love me?” Tony asked, giving Bruce puppy dog eyes although the smirk was still on his face. Bruce just rolled his eyes.

“Obviously, jackass. Even if I’m kinda disappointed that once again, you’re not sober.”

“I am sober!” Tony protested, waggling a finger at Bruce, “I’m just high. It’s different.”

“I swear, you’re using the drugs as an excuse to say whatever you like.”

“Why do you have to be so smart, Banner? You ruin every plan I have.” Tony grumbled.

“Well, I have to start thwarting you now, else you’ll become a supervillain and we’ll have to form a team to take you down.”

“I’ve gotta admit, I’m upset that you’re against me. I assumed you’d be my evil sidekick.”

“Sidekicks are usually brainless bimbos though. I’m offended that you think that lowly of me. Even if 99% of people are brainless bimbos compared to you.” Bruce shrugged. Tony turned to look at him, and smiled sweetly

“You’re my 1%,” he murmured, squeezing Bruce’s hand gently.

“Wow. That might be the sweetest thing you’ve ever said.” Bruce chuckled softly.

“Hey, wait until you hear my wedding vows, baby. I wrote them down on a napkin while I was lying in this very bed.” Tony drawled, his words still slightly slurred.

“You know the other day I said that I knew you’d still be flirting with me on your death bed? ... Well, this is it.” Bruce smirked.

“Hey! I’m not gonna die!” Tony grumbled, his eyes half lidded again.

“Clint and Natasha had bets that you would.” Bruce shrugged. Tony’s eyes widened and his brow furrowed.

“You told them?”Tony asked, letting go of Bruce’s hand.

“That you were in hospital? Yeah, of course I did. They’re your friends, Tony. They were worrying about you. Besides, even if I hadn’t told them, they’d have been asking why you weren’t at school all week anyway.”

“For the love of... Do you think I might have only told you because I only wanted you to know?”Tony frowned, pushing himself up onto his elbows so he could look at Bruce properly, ignoring the aching in his chest as he moved.

“Well... yeah, but why wouldn’t you want them to know? You know Natasha magically knows everything anyway.”

“Yeah, but now when I go back I’m gonna have to answer a whole load of questions, and I didn’t want that.”

“Come on, you’re being stupid. You’d have to answer questions whether I’d told them or not.” Bruce frowned.

“Yeah, but I could have said I’d flown off to another country for a bit. They didn’t have to know I was in hospital. Everyone’s gonna be asking what’s wrong with me and I don’t want to have to tell them.” Tony spoke sternly.

“I’m pretty sure they’ll find out one way or another anyway. And besides, if you didn’t want me to tell them, you should have made that clear.”

“Well I figured I could trust you, but obviously you’re not as trustworthy as I thought,” he huffed. Bruce shook his head and ran a hand through his brown curls. Why was Tony saying these things? We thought his friends had the right to know, but obviously not. Bruce didn’t want to get on Tony’s bad side – he’d seen what happened to people who got in the bad books, and he never wanted to be there himself. Maybe it was just the drugs that the hospital was pumping into Tony’s body; maybe it clouded his judgement or something.

“You’re being irrational, Tony. Just calm down. It’s probably just the morphine talking,” he sighed.

“No, no it’s fucking not. This isn’t about the morphine, or anything else. This is about you being untrustworthy. This is about you spreading things around and being a dick. I thought we were friends, Bruce.”

“Yeah, well so did I, but if this is the way you treat your friends, I want nothing to do with it.” Bruce spoke calmly, closing his eyes and breathing slowly through his nose, like his counsellor had taught him. This was too much. It was all too much. But who cared? Right now, he was too angry to even think about it. “Do you know what, Tony? You’re volatile. And you’re self-obsessed. And I can’t deal with that right now.”

“Yeah, and you’re a jerk, Bruce.” Tony practically _growled_ , leaning forward on the bed towards Bruce, his eyebrows furrowed as he glared at the boy. A tall, but rather plump nurse with dark hair rounded the corner, a worried look on her face as she heard the argument brewing between them. She stood beside Tony’s bed as her worried expression turned to a professional, stern look – it very similar to the one Bruce often used with Tony.

“Excuse me boys, but I don’t think this sort of behaviour will be particularly good for your heart, Mr Stark. I suggest you two either sort this out, or go your separate ways,” she murmured, standing in front of the two boys with her hands on her hips.

“Don’t worry. I’m going.” Bruce huffed, standing to his feet and running a hand through his hair again as he walked away from the bed.

“Thanks for the chocolates, jackass!” Tony shouted after him, past the nurse who was now standing in front of him trying to get him to settle. Bruce just shook his head and didn’t look back, instead walking briskly through the ward to get out of the damned hospital, to get away from Tony, to get away from everything. He may or may not have knocked over a trashcan or two on his way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me for the trouble in paradise!
> 
> Kudos and comments?


	5. A Constant Source of Vexation

Tony wasn’t in school for the rest of the week, as he’d said, but Bruce didn’t really care. Well, he did. Of course he did. He cared more about Tony than he did anyone or anything else, but he was still fuming from their argument at the hospital. He’d said things he didn’t mean – yes, Tony was unpredictable, but volatile was a little too much. But then again, Tony had said some pretty awful things, so he was sure they were even. Even though they’d only had the fight on Tuesday, Bruce was silent for the next three days, only speaking when spoken to by teachers, and even avoiding conversation with his friends when he could help it.

Bruce had pretty good self control, to say he had anger issues. He’d probably had them since a young age, but they only came to light after his mother had died. When he went to school the following day, he threw chairs around the classroom and hit a few kids – the teachers put it down to the loss of his mother, but Bruce always knew that he was just an angry person. There was something deep inside him that made him that way, and it had existed within his body for a long time before his mother’s death. Saying that though, he _did_ have good self control. Seeing a counsellor had helped a lot – Maria had taught Bruce to control his breathing and to use different methods to calm down, ranging from going to a ‘happy place’ to full on meditation classes – but he definitely had a firm lid on it.

Or at least, he thought he did.

He hadn’t had a full on angry episode since middle school, when he’d excused himself to go to the bathroom before completely trashing the place, even ripping a hand-dryer off the wall. But he suddenly felt himself on the verge of a complete breakdown as he sat quietly in the library by himself at Friday lunchtime.

“What _are_ you reading?” came a sneering voice from in front of him, and he lowered his copy of _Pride and Prejudice_ to see Thor’s adopted brother, Loki, stood in front of him.

“Not in the mood today, Loki,” he sighed, lifting the book back up in front of his nose to continue reading.

“Oh, and of course, you’re only ever in the mood when Stark’s here. You’re just a sheep, Banner, lost without your shepherd.” Loki smirked, moving to sit on a beanbag in front of Bruce, crossing one slender leg over the other as he looked over at him.

“Just stop, okay? I really don’t wanna talk right now, I’m sorry.” Bruce spoke calmly, trying to be civil. “Just leave me alone, and perhaps I’ll talk to you later.”

“And what makes I think I want to talk to you anyway?”

“Uh...” Bruce muttered, looking up from his book again, “Maybe the way you’re hovering around and trying to make conversation? That kinda gives it away a little,” he huffed, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he returned to his book.

“You really are pathetic, aren’t you, Banner? You do realise that no one actually knows your name. You’re just ‘Tony Stark’s friend’. And look what you do when he’s not around – you sit by yourself because you have no one else.” Loki smirked, knowing he had the upper hand. Bruce focused on his breathing although his eyes were still on the page, even though he was reading the same sentence over and over again:

  _In her own past behaviour, there was a constant source of vexation and regret; and in the unhappy defects of her family, a subject of yet heavier chagrin._

“Don’t ignore me, Banner. Look, I’m talking to you. That’s more than can be said for your so-called friends. I’m doing you a favour.”

“No, you’re really not. They’re not talking to me because I asked them to leave me alone. I don’t _want_ to be spoken to. Why don’t you understand that?” Bruce growled, putting the book down again to look at Loki directly.

“Ooh, touchy. What’s wrong, Banner? Missing your boyfriend?” he taunted. Bruce sighed and stood up from his own beanbag, putting his bookmark back into his book and stuffing it into his backpack.

“I don’t have to listen to this,” he muttered, hauling the backpack over his shoulder and turning his back on Loki, beginning to walk away.

“Stop right there.“ Loki spoke sternly as he put a hand on Bruce’s shoulder, but before he could even finish his sentence, Bruce had spun around and punched the boy in the face. Loki fell to the floor and wiped the blood from his nose, looking up at Bruce with narrowed eyes, while Bruce stood hovering over him, looking down and panting heavily. It took him only a few moments to look around the silent library, noticing that literally everyone in the room was staring right at him. His closed his eyes and cursed himself silently before walking out of the room, down the winding steps to the main corridor, checking behind himself to make sure none of the teachers were running after him when he bumped into none other than Director Fury. Just his luck.

“Come on, Bruce. I think we should have a little chat in my office.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Please, sir. Don’t call my Dad. Just... I’ll do anything. Detentions every night. I’ll mop up the boys toilets daily. Please, just... don’t tell him.” Bruce pleaded as he sat across from Fury in the Principal’s Office.

“Mr Banner, I’m afraid I don’t have a choice. You’ve assaulted a fellow pupil. Now normally we’d just give a warning, but I’ve had a little chat with your counsellor lately and she says that you told her that the bruises you have up and down your arms are from picking fights in school,” Fury spoke softly, although his arms were folded and his expression was stern. Bruce shook his head lightly, cursing himself for lying to Maria about the true nature of his bruises – but he continued to listen. “Now, that tells me that this isn’t a first time offense – it’s just the first one I’ve heard about. So, based on that information, I don’t think you should stay in school Bruce. You’re a danger to yourself and others at the moment, at least until you’ve calmed down properly. I’m going to suspend you for one week, and one week only, Mr Banner.” Bruce ran a hand through his hair, panicking now.

“Please don’t. Please don’t, sir,” he murmured weakly, trying to reason with him.

“I’m afraid my mind has already been made up, Bruce. You can return to school not next Monday, but the Monday after. And just so you know; you won’t be allowed to go to the junior prom. I’ve already had my secretary call your father. He’ll be coming to pick you up shortly and we can talk to him about what’s going to happen, okay?”   
_No, no, no. Not okay. Code red. Code red._

“Okay,” Bruce sighed, defeated, his head hanging in shame.

 

* * *

 

 

Text Log: Monday, 20:27.

 

Bruce, I’m so sorry. – TS

21:43.

Bruce, don’t ignore me. Please, just talk to me. I know I was a massive jerk... Please. – TS

22:56.

Okay, I get it. I was a dick and now you hate me. But please, just talk to me. Come on, Brucey. I’m trying to make things right. – TS

23:08.

Alright. I’ll leave you alone. – TS

 

* * *

 

 

Text Log: Tuesday, 10:03.

 

Tony? Sorry, I wasn’t ignoring you. I was just... busy. I know you’re sorry. I’m sorry too. I screwed up. I should have made sure you wanted them to know first. I didn’t mean to let you down like that. – BB

Hey, you didn’t let me down. It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. I was the jackass in there. I made a big deal out of nothing. And I think part of it was the morphine, but I’m not going to use that as an excuse. – TS

It’s fine. It’s really fine. I’m just... I hate fighting with you. – BB

Me too. I’m out of hospital, if you want to come see me. I can’t go very far so you’ll have to come to me. I’m near enough bed-ridden. I feel like a cripple. – TS

Yes! Yes, I do want to see you. Can I come over now? I need to get out of this house. Please. – BB

You’re at your house? Why aren’t you in school, Brucey? – TS

I’ll explain when I get there. Can I come over? – BB

Of course you can. Let yourself in. Door’s unlocked. – TS

 

* * *

 

 

Bruce parked his bike up by the side of the house, in his usual spot, and chained it up at the side. He let himself in, as Tony had instructed, quickly waving to Tony’s mother as he passed through the hallway and up the stairs towards Tony’s bedroom.

“Come in.” Tony spoke softly when he heard a knock at the door, and his eyes widened when Bruce walked in – he had a black eye again, cuts all down the side of his face, and although he was wearing an oversized sweater, Tony could tell there would be fresh bruises up and down his body. He sat up from his bed slowly so he wouldn’t hurt his chest, and got up to his feet.

“Why did he do this to you? Was he drunk again?” he murmured, wandering over to Bruce aimlessly and putting a hand on his shoulder.

“When is he not?” Bruce asked, his voice weak – the way he sounded so fragile just broke Tony’s heart.

“Is this why you’re not in school? Because he hurt you?”

“No... He hurt me _because_ I’m not in school. I was still angry after the argument and... Loki - you know Thor’s little brother? - decided it was a good idea to pick a fight. So I hit him. Broke his nose. Got myself suspended all this week. I begged Fury not to call my Dad, but he did anyway. And... Here we are,” Bruce shrugged, running a hand through his hair. “You should have heard the things he was saying to me, Tony,” he spoke feebly, moving to perch on Tony’s bed.

“To be honest, that Loki kid had it coming. He’s such a jackass. I’m glad you hit him – but obviously I’m not so glad about the consequences.” Tony sighed softly, sitting down beside Bruce. “Why don’t you stay here for the rest of the week? I’m sure your Dad won’t mind too much, and my Dad’s always too fucking busy to care. It’s safer here. Plus, you get to spend some quality bonding time with your favourite person,” he grinned. Bruce smiled softly and nudged into Tony’s side.

“I am sorry, y’know. I missed you,” he murmured, looking down as he hands as he wrung them together in his lap. “How’s your chest?”

“Missed you too buddy. It’s looking good, actually. I’m working on a prototype to replace the lump of metal they put in there. That thing looked a bit... messy. I’m working on something of my own – sorta like a pacemaker, except it could probably run my heart for fifty lifetimes if it tries to give out again.” Tony grinned. “Come on, I’ll show you.” He stood slowly from his bed and trudged down the hallway, checking behind him to make sure Bruce was following. Very slowly, he made his way down the staircase, step by step, before opening the cupboard under the stairs to his laboratory in the basement.

“So... Can I see your chest then?” Bruce asked once they were safely in Tony’s lab. Tony narrowed his eyes at the teenager.

“Any excuse to see me naked, hm, big guy?” he smirked, biting his lip gently as he took hold of the hem of his Led Zeppelin t-shirt, tugging it off over his head and laying it down on a workbench. He removed the padding that was still on his chest to reveal a small circle of metal embedded into his chest; the skin around it was red and agitated where the foreign object had been rooted into the skin, and there were two visible scar lines both vertically and horizontally across the metal, like a crosshair. Bruce stepped a little closer to look at it, pushing his glasses up his nose.

“Wow... That’s... really weird. You’re like... part Terminator or something,” he smirked, looking at the little metal circle. “How deep does it go?”

“About two or three inches. It’s too sensitive to take out and have a proper poke around just yet so...” Tony shrugged, looking down at the other boy, who was still bent over to look at his chest. “Y’know, you look really good from this angle. I wouldn’t mind having you in front of me like this more often. Maybe a little lower...”

“Tony.”

“What?” he smirked, holding his hands up defensively. Bruce rolled his eyes, although the small smile was still on his face.

“Can I touch it?”

“Brucey, you can touch whatever you like.” Tony grinned, and Bruce reached out a tentative hand, letting his finger just graze the cool metal within Tony’s chest.

“That hurt?” he asked, looking up at the other.

“Can’t even feel it. It’s just the skin around it that aches,” Tony shrugged, looking down at the other boy who was still staring at his chest intently. “I would say ‘eyes up here’, but I don’t mind having you stare at my naked body.” He winked. Bruce rolled his eyes as he took a step back, running a hand through his hair.

“You’re still a jerk,” he chuckled softly. “So what’s this prototype you’re working on?” Tony raised an eyebrow as he turned around to retrieve a small box from under one of the lab desks, opening it and reaching inside to pull out a small round object.

“I call it the ‘arc reactor’. Self-sustaining energy. Breakthrough in modern science. A big enough one of these could probably run an entire building, given the chance. Luckily, it only has to run me.”

“Yeah well, your ego is as big as a building. Are you sure it can cope?” Bruce smirked as he took the reactor from Tony, ignoring the glare the other boy gave him. “It’s really clever, Tony. I just hope it works.”

“It should do. I suppose we’ll see in a few weeks once I’m all healed up properly,” he nodded, taking the reactor back and stowing it away again.

“When are you back at school?”

“I can either go back in four weeks once the scarring has cleared up a bit, or I can go back on Monday as long as I don’t do anything strenuous. So, if I get to see you every day, and I get out of gym class, I think I’ll be there on Monday.” Tony winked.

“I start back on Monday too. I think I have to give Loki a written apology for breaking his nose, even though it was his own fault.”

“The guy’s a jerk, but I think he just needs a hug. Probably from Thor.”

“Well, how about you send Hamlet a text telling him to snuggle up to the Ice Princess, and I’ll go make us some lunch.” Bruce smirked as he padded out of Tony’s lab, glad that things were finally returning to normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Told you things would be alright. Stop worrying.
> 
> Loki's a dick though. And can we all just agree to HATE Brian Banner?
> 
> Kudos and comments?


	6. Crossing The Line

When Bruce went back to school on Monday morning, Tony was waiting outside his house to give him a lift. He’d stayed with Tony for the majority of the week, but he’d gone home on Sunday so his Dad didn’t completely flip. Most of Bruce’s bruises had healed by the time Monday came around, although he still had a few cuts around his eye – if anyone asked, he’d fallen off his bike. Pulling into the school parking lot, Tony pointed in the direction of another car that was pulling up beside them; Thor was in the driving seat and offered them an energetic wave as he got out.

“Heads up,” Tony warned as he spotted Loki in the passenger seat; his broken nose was completely healed but he was still scowling in Bruce’s general direction. Bruce rolled his eyes as he got out of Tony’s silver Audi and made his way over to the pair.

“Look, Loki, I-“

“Save it, Banner. I do not care for your sorry attempt at an apology.” Loki huffed, moving to stand beside Thor, but keeping considerable distance between them.

“Hey, you talk like that and you’ll be getting another punch in the face, sweetcheeks.” Tony grunted, raising an eyebrow as he folded his arms across his chest.

“Well, aren’t I intimidated?”

“Now, now, little brother, don’t be like that. Bruce has obviously come over to make peace. You do not have to be so cruel.” Thor murmured, wrapping an arm around Loki’s shoulders and trying not to look too hurt when Loki shrugged him off.

“Bruce won’t be doing any apologising if Rock of Ages over here doesn’t stop being an ass.” Tony muttered.

“Hey, guys,” Bruce interrupted, giving Tony a stern look and nudging him out of the way slightly, “It’s fine. Loki can be an ass as much as he likes. I don’t care. But I am sorry for breaking your nose,” he murmured, holding a hand out towards the darker haired boy. “Truce?”

Loki looked at Bruce’s hand with a wrinkled nose, as if it were the most disgusting thing he’d ever seen, and he’d contract some kind of contagious disease just from touching him. Thor nudged him in the side, and rolling his eyes, Loki held a pale, slender hand out to shake limply.

“Right. Well, you two can get back to your brotherly bonding, and I’m gonna get Brucey some hand sanitizer.” Tony smiled, putting a hand on the small of Bruce’s back and leading him towards the school. He waited until they were out of earshot to say, “Jeez, I hate that kid.”

“I’m pretty sure he hates you too. He hates everyone, including himself. That’s most likely to be the problem.” Bruce shrugged, trying not to think too much about the hand on his back.

“Totally. Now get to biology, you big nerd.” Tony smirked, pushing Bruce away from him slightly, in the direction of the labs. Bruce rolled his eyes.

“You’re still a jerk. I’ll see you at lunch, hot shot.”

 

* * *

 

 

Bruce had double biology before lunch, but there was a small break in between the lessons, so he made his way to his locker to change one biology textbook for another. He noticed Clint walking towards him and offered him a small wave.

“Hey, Legolas,” Bruce chuckled as he rooted through his locker, glancing at Clint as he leaned on the locker beside him.

“Good to have you back, Bruce,” he grinned, clapping the teenager on the back, “It’s been weird without you. Both of you really.”

“Ah yeah, Tony’s back too.”

“I know, I’ve already seen him. Bit weird, you two being off at the same time. Thought you’d eloped together or something,” Clint smirked, nudging into Bruce’s side. Bruce just rolled his eyes.

“Oh yes, it was a very romantic secret wedding. It was in the moonlight underneath a weeping willow, and all the woodland animals came out as well.”

“See, I knew Tony was a Disney princess at heart.” Clint laughed, and Bruce chuckled with him.

“Well, I do have a wide selection of dresses.” Tony grinned as he walked up behind them, an eyebrow raised. “Talking about me, are we?”

“Bruce was just telling me about your secret wedding last week. I assumed that’s why you two haven’t been at school.”

“Obviously. You should have seen the honeymoon, Barton. It was so hot. You’re lucky Bruce is walking properly.” Tony winked, folding his arms across his chest, and Bruce just glared at him.

“Tony,” he spoke in that stern voice.

“Oooh, don’t want to cause trouble in paradise.” Clint murmured, holding his hands up in defence. “Need me to leave the happy couple alone?”

“Don’t leave me alone with him. He’ll turn into one of those yappy little puppies that hump your leg.” Bruce smirked, closing his locker and turning to lean backwards against it, facing Tony with his body although he was looking over at Clint.

“He’s right,” Tony nodded, looking over at Clint, before turning to face Bruce again, “But I’m offended that you think my aim is that bad. I can assure you, big guy, I won’t be humping your _leg_.”

“Oh my god. You two are too much for me. There’s a line, and you always cross it.” Clint grunted, closing his eyes as he shook his head. “I’m out of here. I’m gonna go see my _girlfriend_ so I can get away from all the homosexual tension,” he muttered, turning to walk away.

“He’s scared we’ll convert him.” Bruce muttered.

“You know you’d go gay for me!” Tony called after him, a grin on his face; Clint turned around to flip him off before continuing to walk down the hallway. “We’re not that bad, are we?”

“I don’t know. You’re not exactly subtle, Tony.”

“I can be discreet,” he protested.

“Wow. I didn’t think ‘discreet’ was even in your vocabulary.”

“Neither did I until about twenty seconds ago.”

 

* * *

 

 

It was lunchtime on Wednesday when Bruce next saw Tony, and he’d been having a pretty rough day; his Dad had been an ass the night before, and Fury had put him on a report card to make sure his behaviour was up to scratch. He was feeling run down and annoyed when he sat down opposite Tony, who was sitting at the table with Steve and a tray full of food. He eyed the large array of foodstuffs with a raised eyebrow.

“You better not have bought food for me again.”

“Of course I have. Always do. You know that,” Tony smirked, picking at the pasta he’d got for himself, and shoving a plate towards Bruce. “Take it, big guy.” Bruce frowned, but took the plate that was offered to him.

“You really have to stop buying food for me. You might be rich, but you don’t have to spend all your money on me.”

“Hey now, people always lavish their lovers, Brucey.” Tony grinned.

“We’re still not lovers.”

“No, but we will be.” Bruce just rolled his eyes and took a bite of the pasta Tony had put in front of him.

“I think it’s sweet that Tony buys things for you. He’s never really bought dinner for any of his other girlfriends. You should be flattered.” Steve piped up, running a hand through his golden hair.

“I’m not his girlfriend. Or his boyfriend. He just wishes I was.” Bruce muttered through a mouthful of food.

“It’s true,” Tony nodded, looking in Steve’s direction. “Go on, Spangles. Tell Bruce about how I’d make an amazing boyfriend. We need to talk him around.”

Now, Bruce was used to the flirting from Tony. Tony flirted with anything and everything, so he’d learned not to take it personally – but now that he was actually using the word ‘boyfriend’, he felt a little uncomfortable. Bruce wasn’t one to blush, but he did feel a little embarrassed sitting at the table, and he could tell Steve was just as uncomfortable as he was.

“Give the guy a break, Tony. Just let him eat his dinner. You don’t need to flirt with him all the time.” Steve muttered.

“Oh shut up. He loves it.”

“No, Steve’s right. Just leave it.” Bruce murmured, looking down at his bowl of pasta, suddenly feeling a little guilty knowing that it was Tony’s food; as if he didn’t deserve it. Tony’s brow furrowed – Bruce was out of sorts.

“Steve, would you excuse us for a bit?”

“Hm? ... Oh, no problem. I need to get to football practice anyway. If you see Thor, tell him he needs to get his ass to the changing rooms. I’ll see you two later.” Steve nodded, taking his tray with him as he left the table.

“Alright, spill.” Tony huffed, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms.

“What?”

“You heard me. You’re acting off.”

“I’m not acting off. You just... don’t need to flirt all the time.” Bruce shrugged, still not making eye contact with him.

“Yeah, but that just tells me something’s wrong. I always flirt with you, and you’ve never had a problem with it before. So what’s happened? Is it something I’ve done?” he asked, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table, towards Bruce.

“No. I’m just having a bad day. It’s nothing. Sorry.”

"It's not nothing. It's never nothing with you, Brucey. A bad day I'll accept but there's got to be something."

"Tony, seriously. Just... My Dad's a dick, and Fury's a dick, and I hate this school and just... I really don't need you to be joking around with me today." he sighed, running a hand through his curls. Tony leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixed on Bruce.

 "Well... I mean fine I'll cut the flirting for a day but-"

"No, just cut the flirting altogether. You need to stop saying things you don't mean. This is like the shit at the hospital all over again." Bruce huffed, shaking his head.

There was a long pause before Tony spoke again.

"But I do mean them, you know that," he said, though somewhat quieter than before. Bruce frowned at him.

"No you don't. Don't even say that. You have all these girls flitting around you all the time... And you went out with Pepper and... Why would you even say that?" Bruce asked, his brow furrowed as he looked at Tony with an almost panicked expression. This was too much. Tony shook his head.

 "They flit, I don't. Pepper finished with me because I spent all of my time with you, and that’s because-... You know what? Forget it. I don't want to argue about this."

"And I told you I didn't need you joking around. You're playing with my feelings here. I don't need this right now." Bruce grunted, pushing the plate away from him and standing from his chair, running a hand through his hair.

"Playing with your feelings?" Tony stood up to be on an almost equal level with his slightly taller friend. "I don't care how exactly you interpret my flirting, but I'm not playing with your feelin-...“ he paused, wary of Bruce's ever prominent temper. When he spoke again he was quieter, gentler. "C'mon, let's finish dinner. I'm starving." Bruce looked around the canteen to see several people looking in their direction, fascinated by their standoff. He dropped his head the floor.

"No. I need to cool off. I'm just... I'm gonna go. I might talk to you tomorrow." Bruce muttered shaking his head as he picked up his bag and shuffled off in the other direction.

“Bruce!” Tony called after him, “Bruce!”

But Bruce kept walking, and didn’t look back.

 

* * *

 

 

“Director Fury told me about the incident with that boy.” Maria spoke softly, one leg crossed over the other as she sat in her white chair in the therapist’s office, staring down at Bruce with that excruciating gaze of hers. “How do you _feel_ about that, Bruce? How does it make you _feel_?”

_I feel like I’m gonna hit you as well if you keep asking how I feel._

“I feel guilty about it, yeah. I should have controlled myself. I tried to control my breathing and I even told him politely to leave me alone, but he didn’t listen. I shouldn’t have lashed out like I did though,” he nodded, lying back on the white sofa, and staring up at the white ceiling. They were about an hour into the session, and Bruce knew he wouldn’t have to put up with this for much longer.

“That’s good, that’s good,” she murmured, writing something down in her notebook, “At least you know what you did wrong and what you should have done instead,” she nodded. “Now, have there been any other problems at school recently?”

“Not that I can think of.” Bruce lied, nodding gently.

“You’re sure?”

“Positive.”

“Good. I suppose I’ll see you not next week, but the week after, hm?” she smiled, and he nodded, muttering a ‘thanks’ as he left. He just wanted to be alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And things are angsty again. PLEASE DON'T HATE ME!
> 
> Seriously though, it's all okay. Shh, my pretties.
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated.


	7. Ever Heard of 'Unrequited Love'?

Text Log: Sunday, 00:16.

 

Still angry with me? – TS

Maybe a little. – BB

Only a little? Well that’s a vast improvement. – TS

Can you try not to be an asshole for about... ten minutes? – BB

Unfortunately not. It’s calibrated into the very fibres of my being. Being an asshole is hereditary, I think. – TS

Well that gives me great hope, being my father’s son and all. – BB

You won’t turn out like him. He’s bitter. And you’re sweet. They’re opposites. – TS

Ever heard of bittersweet? – BB

Banner. Stop being smart. You’re thwarting my plans again. – TS

 

* * *

 

Text Log: Sunday, 09:52.

 

I’m assuming you fell asleep on me, because there is no way on this earth that you would ignore me on purpose, right? – TS

Totally. That’s why this is the first time I’ve spoken to you since Wednesday. – BB

Stop it, you’re breaking my heart. Well, whatever’s left of it. – TS

Don’t say that. You can’t joke about a medical condition. – BB

Bruce, have you never seen a stand-up comedian? They always poke fun at medical conditions. And anything else that isn’t a straight, white, middle-class male. – TS

Well you’re screwed then. – BB

... Is that because I’m upper-class or because I’m not completely straight? – TS

Both. - BB

You suck. – TS

Look, did you want something or are you just gonna talk me to death? – BB

Whoa, rude. – TS

I’m serious. I can think of a million better things I could be doing. – BB

That’s just mean, Brucey. I’m not that much of a pain in the ass to talk to, am I? – TS

Think about the question you just asked, and then think about whether you really want the answer. – BB

Okay, okay. Whatever. Are we going to talk about Wednesday or not? – TS

Not if I can help it. – BB

Why are you being so stubborn? I’m the one who’s started the conversation, _twice_ , to try and set things right. It’s like you don’t want to fix things. – TS

If it means we go back to flirting every day, and none of it means anything, and every day is just another reminder of what I can’t have, then yeah. I’d rather things stayed unfixed. – BB

No self-depreciating shit, Banner. That’s my get-up. – TS

Whatever. – BB

... Look, how many times do I have to tell you that I mean it? Do you see me flirting with Steve or Thor or Clint in the way I do with you? – TS

Not quite as much, but you do. You flirt with everything. The only reason you target me is because I’m stupid enough to flirt back. – BB

Right, one: You’re not stupid. Your IQ is higher than my ego, and that’s saying something. Two: I don’t target you because you flirt back; I target you because I’ve been crazy about you since the dawn of time. – TS

 

* * *

 

Text Log: Sunday, 13:37.

 

Subtly ignoring me again? – TS

Just leave it, Tony. I don’t want to talk. – BB

I don’t understand why you don’t believe me. I mean, you’ve made it fairly obvious that you’re actually interested in me... So why aren’t you happy that I’m telling you I like you back? Aren’t you meant to be skipping around the room or something? – TS

Big ego, again. – BB

Do you know what? Screw this. Is your Dad at home? – TS

What? No, he’s at work. – BB

Right, see you in ten minutes. – TS

Don’t you dare. – BB

Tony. – BB

Tony? – BB

 

* * *

 

 

 

Bruce looked sheepishly out of his bedroom window as he watched the familiar silver Audi pull up in his driveway. He sighed softly to himself and ran a hand through his curly hair. He hadn’t bothered to get dressed that day, seeing as his Dad was out and he had nothing better to do, so he traipsed downstairs in a pair of pyjama bottoms and an AC/DC t-shirt – presumably one of Tony’s that he’d left the last time he was over. He opened the door with a glare, looking at the boy on the doorstep and pushing his glasses up his nose.

“Why are you here?”

“Ooh, AC/DC. You’ve gone up in my estimations. Do you know how attractive it is when your significant other wears an item of your clothing?” Tony smirked, leaning against the porch wall as he looked at Bruce. Bruce just rolled his eyes.

“Don’t start. Just tell me what you’re doing here.”

“Well I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere because I was hoping to end up at my best friend’s house, but instead I’m on the front porch of this moody bastard who I don’t even recognise,” he sighed, folding his arms across his chest. Bruce stared at him for a moment and swallowed thickly.

“You can’t stay long,” he muttered, turning away from the door and heading into the kitchen. Tony smiled to himself, knowing that Bruce was backing down, and he closed the door behind him before padding into the kitchen to follow Bruce.

“So...” Tony shrugged as he hopped up to sit on Bruce’s kitchen counter; his usual spot when he came around to Bruce’s house, “Wednesday.”

“What about it?” Bruce asked, not facing the other boy as he rooted through the cupboard, looking for a glass.

“Oh, I dunno. Thought you might wanna talk about the fact that I’ve been flirting with you every day for the past eight years? And that despite the fact that you tell me on a regular basis that I’m the least subtle person in the world, you haven’t yet realised that I’m not joking.”

“You _are_ the least subtle person in the world. Which is one of the reasons why you so blatantly flirt without giving a shit about the other person’s feelings,” he muttered, filling the glass with tap water.

“Well perhaps if you _told me_ how you were feeling instead of giving me the silent treatment for four days, we might get somewhere a little quicker.” Tony sighed, kicking his legs against the counter softly. Bruce looked up at him then, straight in the eyes.

“You know how I feel. You’ve always known.”

“Maybe. You hinted at it a few times. But you can’t come to me and say ‘there’s no way you like me because you went out with Pepper for a year’, when you were dating Betty Ross for about two months.” Tony pointed out, and eyebrow quirked. Bruce looked away and sighed.

“We agreed we weren’t gonna talk about her.”

“Well I felt it was detrimental to this conversation. Ever heard of ‘unrequited love’, Brucey? It’s this thing where you don’t tell the person you like that you like them, and you date other people to try and get over them.”

“Yeah, you date other people for a month or two, as long as it takes them to realise that you aren’t actually interested, and you’re just trying to get the attention of your best friend.” Bruce muttered, taking a sip from his glass. “You don’t date them for an entire year, Tony. You can’t tell me that you didn’t have feelings for Pepper.”

“I’m not saying that.” Tony huffed, running a hand through his hair. “I’m saying that I care about you a hell of a lot more than I ever cared about her. I knew that, and she knew that. It’s why she left in the end. She tried to make things work between us but eventually she knew that it wouldn’t. Yeah, we had some good times, but it was never her I really wanted. And she knew that. I think _you_ knew that.”

“How the hell would I have known?” Bruce asked, his brow furrowed as he turned to face Tony, square on. “You lead me into thinking you’re interested for years, and then the first chance you get, you just run off with some sassy red-head.”

“Oh, but it’s alright for you to go out with Betty Ross?”

“I did that because everyone else was getting into relationships. Even _Thor_ got someone before I did! Look, Tony, if you came here to start another argument, you might as well just go,” he huffed, turning away and batting a hand to dismiss Tony. The billionaire frowned and jumped off the counter, standing in front of Bruce at eye level.

“I’m not here to start an argument. I’m here to solve the last one. Why are we even fighting about this? You like me, I like you. It’s the most simple thing in the world,” he spoke softly, putting a hand on Bruce’s arm gently. “Who cares who we dated a year ago? Who cares how long we’ve been dancing around each other like fairies? All I care about right now is you, big guy,” he shrugged. Bruce looked at Tony carefully, trying to read his face. They’d been friends long enough that Bruce could read him like a book – knew the way his eyebrows creased together when he was concentrating; the way his eyes narrowed when someone said something out of order; the way his nose crinkled a little when Bruce did something ‘cute’ – and he knew when he was lying.

He wasn’t.

Bruce put his glass down on the worktop and dropped his head a little, impressed by Tony’s spiel. He looked down at their feet for a moment – they were so close together, he hadn’t realised before.

“Have I been stupid?” he murmured, his voice quiet.

“Well...” Tony teased, swaying his head from side to side slightly.

“I’m in the 99% of the human population aren’t I? The ones who are brainless bimbos compared to you.” Tony chuckled softly and put a finger under Bruce’s chin, lifting his head up to face him.

“You know you’re not. You know you’re in the 1%,” he grinned softly – not his ‘Stark Charm’ grin, or his flirty grin, or his shit eating grin. It was a genuine Tony Stark smile. Bruce smiled back and moved his hands to rest them tentatively on Tony’s waist, a little hesitant.

“Promise me that I’m not gonna be one of your ‘girls’. The ones you sweet talk to get them to like you, and then you screw them and leave in the morning.”

“You’re kidding, right? You think I’ve been tailing you all this time just to get in your pants?”

“Yes?”

“Well... yeah, but it’s more than that.” Tony chuckled. “Tell you what, I’ll take you out. Tonight. Right now. Let’s go on that date I suggested.”

“The shawarma date? The one you suggested when you were drunk?” Bruce laughed, an eyebrow raised. “You’re unbelievable.”

“You love it,” he smirked, his hand still holding Bruce’s chin up, and wetting his lips gently, he leaned down slowly. Bruce leaned up to meet him halfway, their lips just millimetres apart and-

The front door unlocked.

“Shit.” Bruce panted suddenly, pulling away and looking towards the kitchen door “My Dad’s home.” Tony let out a frustrated groan and ran a hand through his hair.

“Your Dad is a cockblock,” he huffed, taking a step back and moving back to his seat on the counter to look a little less conspicuous when Bruce’s father walked in.

“Bruce, you little shit, you’re gonn-..” Bruce’s father spat as he stormed into the kitchen, his words slightly slurred. He stopped as he saw Tony and instead changed his expression to that of a smile. “Oh... Tony! Hey there, son,” he smiled, waving a hand out towards Tony. “How’s your father?”

“Oh, he’s fine, Dr Banner. Thanks. I’ll tell him you said hi,” he nodded, feeling a little awkward being around Bruce’s father.

“Good, good,” Dr Banner nodded, shuffling his way over to Bruce and ruffling a hand through his hair in a forced display of affection. “Bruce, you little... rascal... you...” he smiled falsely, and Bruce was clearly uncomfortable. Tony watched carefully, his jaw clenched tightly as Bruce’s father pretended to care about his son. He couldn’t help feeling a little protective now that he knew what Brian Banner was capable of. “Well, I’ll leave you boys to it,” he murmured, breaking the silence. “Don’t stay up too late,” he slurred, and stumbled out of the room slowly. Tony waited until Dr Banner was safely back in the living room before he turned to Bruce.

“Don’t stay up too late? Does he know it’s three in the afternoon?”

“His body clock’s all wrong. It’s the drinking. I thought he’d gone to work but... Obviously not.” Bruce sighed, running a hand through his hair as if to try and get rid of any remnants his father may have left embedded in his curls. “You should probably go. I’ll see you at school?” Tony sighed softly and jumped down from the counter.

“It’s not ‘Bring Your Cockblocking Dad to School’ day tomorrow, is it?”

“No.”

“Good. So I’ll get some action then?” he grinned, walking towards Bruce again and putting an arm on his waist.

“Don’t think that’s a good idea while I’m in biology.”

“... So I can’t do you on the periodic table?”

“Not with lines like that. Go on, get out of here.” Bruce smirked, pulling Tony into a quick hug before pushing him away. Tony rolled his eyes and left the building, clambering back into his car and pulling out his phone.

 

I was tempted to take my AC/DC t-shirt back just so I could see you shirtless, but I figured your Dad wouldn’t take too kindly when he walked back in the room. – TS

Get off my driveway, you ass. – BB

 

And Tony was smiling as he drove back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw, things are starting to get cute. HOW CUTE ARE THINGS GETTING? Very, is the answer.
> 
> I still hate Brian. Even more so now that he's a cockblock. Sigh.


	8. A Makeshift Heart Transplant

The next week, it was as if Tony had just returned from an alien planet, and the Earth had reduced itself to utter chaos. It turned out that while he was trying to make things better with Bruce, the rest of the world had started panicking about prom, which was coming up on Saturday. He couldn’t walk through the hallway without hearing about so-and-so’s dress, or which car the boys were planning on taking. Not to mention the amount of people who asked whether he’d be coming in some extravagant form of transport, or whether he’d be bringing a movie star as his date. Should he really be panicking? A week was long enough for him to sort his priorities right – he was Tony Stark, he could hire a planner to do it for him if he got really in over his head. He did his usual trick of coming up with some witty answer without giving much away, although he didn’t really have a clue what he was going to do – he hadn’t even put any thought into prom yet. Getting a ticket wouldn’t be a problem, so he didn’t have to worry about that; as for a suit, he had about three different ones at home; he was pretty sure his Mom could convince his Dad to let him borrow one of his very expensive cars; and date-wise, well, there was only one person for the job, really.

Tony had a free period in the lesson before lunch, so he asked to borrow a soldering iron from his workshop classroom and opted to work on his arc reactor prototype in one of the study rooms, his iPod playing classic rock into his ears. He barely noticed when Natasha seated herself beside him, watching him scrutinously as he delicately tinkered with the wires – not that he’d have noticed if he didn’t have his headphones in; Natasha was the master of sneaking up on people.

“So...” she murmured after watching him for ten minutes or so, and Tony nearly jumped out of his skin.

“Jeez, Natasha. You try’na gimme a heart attack?” he barked, swallowing thickly as he smoothed a hand over his hair, taking his headphones out. Natasha just raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, so we’re acknowledging that you have a heart? Here I was, thinking you only experienced feelings with your dick,” she smirked, grabbing the carton of juice she’d brought with her and putting the straw to her lips.

“Do I need to explain to you how the cardiovascular system works, Romanoff? Because technically you don’t feel with your heart at all.”

“You’re such a douche,” she grinned, her eyes falling from his face to the prototype again. “What are you working on?”

“Project,” Tony shrugged, putting the arc reactor back into its box and unplugging the soldering iron before turning to face Natasha. “Did you want to talk to me about something or did you just come to insult my intelligence?” She rolled her eyes.

“Wondered what you were doing for prom.”

“Oh, I’m flattered that you’d ask me, but I think we both know I’m out of your league.” Natasha glared at him, and he pursed his lips. “Please don’t hit me.”

“I’m serious, Tony. I need to know what dress you’re wearing so we don’t come in the same one,” she spoke with a stern expression, before it faded into a smile, and Tony narrowed his eyes at her.

“Sweetheart, if I were wearing a dress, I can promise you won’t find it in any of your little thrift stores or wherever it is you peasants buy things,” he smirked, running a hand through his hair. “No, I haven’t actually made any plans to be honest. Probably just steal one of my dad’s cars and grab an old tux. No biggie,” he shrugged. “I take it bird-brain’s asked you, hm?”

“Well it’s guys choice so... yeah. Had to turn down a couple of other dickwads, but y’know.”

“See, you girls get it easy,” Tony huffed, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms across his chest. “You don’t have to worry about asking and getting your balls twisted into a knot so tight you can never get it up again.” Natasha raised an eyebrow at him.

“You really want to get into a ‘girls have it easy’ fight with me, Stark? Because you’ll never see those ‘knotted balls’ of yours again,” she warned. He held his hands up defensively before rubbing at his eye with the heel of his hand.

“Ugh, man. Why do we need a junior prom anyway? We don’t need two.”

“I’m sorry, are you _complaining_ that you get to show off a fancy car, be the centre of attention, and grind up against girls in skin tight dresses? _Twice_?” she asked, her brow furrowing as she looked at him.

“Oh _hell_ no, I’m not complaining about that at all.” Tony smirked, shaking his head slightly, but Natasha’s eyes were still narrowed.

“Then what is it? Come on, there’s something,” she murmured, and then paused. “No... You’re not... stuck for a date are you? Really? You?”

“No, no, no. I’m not. I mean, I haven’t asked him yet but... I know he’ll say yeah,” he nodded, and Natasha sat back in her seat, a smug look on her face.

“Banner finally got the hints then? Took him long enough.”

“Hey, apparently, I was ‘too subtle’.” Tony grinned, and Natasha let out a gentle chuckle.

“Never thought I’d hear that. So... What’s the problem? You’ve got a car, you’ve got a suit, and you’ve got a date. Why are you down in the dumps?”

Tony had been friends with Natasha only a little longer than he had been with Bruce. They became friends in the third grade, and although Tony had initially liked her, she’d always known his heart was set on Bruce. She was the first person he told when he figured out he had feelings for guys, and she confided in him about a lot of things she told no one else too. One of the one things she didn’t know though was the extent to which Tony hated his father.

It was no secret that Tony Stark wasn’t quite the ‘golden child’ in his father’s eyes, and almost the whole world had witnessed at least one of their fights. He might have carried the Stark name, the Stark looks and the Stark intelligence, but Tony hated his father. Perhaps it was because they were so alike that every conversation became a toxic argument; two stubborn men with two different opinions often cause a lethal concoction. Perhaps it was because Howard Stark didn’t care about anything Tony had to say, whether it was schoolwork, inventions, or his personal life – he never listened to him, and Tony resented him for that.

Or, perhaps it was the fact that his Dad was incredibly homophobic.

“I just... Don’t wanna have the prom pictures taken. And I don’t want them going on Facebook.” Tony finally sighed.

“What, so you’re camera shy now? _You_? ... Tony, tell me what’s wrong. You know I’ll figure it out anyway.” Natasha persisted, folding her arms across his chest as she looked at him with a quirked eyebrow. Tony let out a loud sigh and ran a hand through his hair.

“If my Dad sees pictures of me dancing with Bruce, or even touching him, I’m pretty sure he’ll throw me out of the house – even if it ruins his celebrity name,” he muttered.

“Ah.”

“Yeah. I mean, by senior prom, I might have worked up the courage to tell him but... He’s not gonna suddenly accept it by this weekend.”

“I thought you always said your Dad didn’t really pay attention to your relationships anyway?” Natasha asked, her brow furrowed again.

“Well he doesn’t. But I’m pretty sure if he caught wind that I was dating Bruce, I’d never hear the end of it.” Natasha made a sound of disapproval, sighing softly as she looked down at her hands. She paused for a moment, thoughts whizzing through her head.

“I’ve got an idea. I’ll have to talk to Clint but... I’ve got an idea. Just promise me something, okay?”

“What?”

“You’ll host an after-prom party, even if you don’t go. Yours are the best,” she grinned.

“Obviously. Sure.”

“Good. Okay, I’m gonna go see Clint. You ask Bruce to prom. I’ll come and find you later,” she smiled, clapping Tony on the back as she stood from her chair, taking her juice carton with her as she left the room. Tony frowned to himself, but didn’t question it, and instead took the arc reactor back out of its box to continue working on it until the bell rang.

 

* * *

 

 

Text Log: Tuesday, 17:52.

 

Guess who’s just finished the arc reactor prototype? – TS

Muhammad Ali? – BB

Ah yes, I employ all retired boxers with degenerative diseases to come and work on my projects with me. – TS

Knew it. So it’s done then? – BB

Yup. – TS

And it fits? – BB

Yup. – TS

And it works? – BB

Yup. And guess what? – TS

What? – BB

It glows. – TS

I’m coming over. – BB

 

* * *

 

 

Tony was tinkering away in the lab when he noticed Bruce walk in, running a hand through his wild mane of hair as he bounded over to the worktop Tony was stood by, dropping his schoolbag by the door. He moved to stand beside Tony and leaned into his side slightly as he glanced down at the blueprints on the table in front of him.

“Hey there, stud muffin.” Tony winked, but Bruce just looked at him with an eager expression.

“Go on, where is it? Why does it glow?”

“It’s self sustaining energy, so it gives off a slight glow,” Tony explained as he backed away from the blueprints slightly. “Do you not pay attention in physics class?”

“You’re one to talk!” Bruce huffed, folding his arms as he turned to look at the other. “Come on then. Show me.”

“I haven’t put it in yet. I’ve tried it on, but I thought I’d wait for you,” he shrugged, before pulling his shirt off and letting it drop to the floor in a crumpled heap. Bruce looked at Tony’s toned frame for a minute before reverting he gaze back to the metal in the centre of Tony’s chest. “As you can see, I’ve already had a play around in there – so there’s now a metal casing that lines the innards of the... chest-hole? I dunno. And I’ve already rewired the original piece of magnet so... all we need to do is put the new one in.” Bruce nodded along with Tony as he looked at the metal circle.

“Right then. Let’s do it. Where’s the reactor?” Bruce asked, and Tony wasted no time in retrieving the box he was keeping the reactor in, putting it on the worktop for Bruce.

“I’ll take the old one out; you put the new one in. All you need to do is click it into place, okay? Simple.” Tony nodded, taking a deep breath and shaking his body out a little as he moved a hand to his chest.

“You sure about this?”

“Positive.”

“... Okay, if you’re sure.” Bruce nodded, picking up the finished reactor and holding it beside Tony’s chest. “Ready.” Tony took another deep breath and grasped the edges of the metal ring carefully, before clicking it to the side and dragging it out – its wires already severed. He winced as the two inch deep metal was pulled from his body, and he set it down on the worktop. Bruce was watching with awe, and glanced up to Tony’s face every few seconds, waiting for his word. After a few moments, Tony nodded towards him, still holding his breath, a pained look on his face. Bruce immediately moved the arc reactor closer and slid it in to the cavity slowly, careful not to hurt Tony too much. “Easy... easy...” he murmured, pushing it all the way in and turning it slightly until it clicked. Stepping away, he was breathless, a panicked look on his face. “Did it work?”

Tony let out his breath softly, and pushed his shoulders back, adjusting to the feel of the new entity protruding from his chest. He glanced down at the reactor as it flickered to life, the soft blue glow reflecting against Bruce who was standing close to him in anticipation. Looking up, he nodded with a smile and Bruce grinned back, chuckling softly as he leant against the worktop.

“You know Banner, I’ve fucked and been fucked in all sorts of places but that’s the most erotic thing anyone’s ever done with my chest.” Tony smirked, biting his lip. Bruce raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t know why I’m surprised that you’d start flirting again not seconds after a makeshift heart transplant,” he deadpanned, although the smile slowly crept back on to his face.

“Why don’t you come and bask in my now literal brilliance?” he grinned, beckoning Bruce over with one finger. “Or... You could be a doll and go turn the light out so we can see just how bright this thing shines.”

“Not a bad idea,” Bruce nodded, walking towards the light switch and turning it out, watching in awe as the soft light from the core of Tony’s being lit up a small circle around them. “Wow... It’s... beautiful,” he murmured gently.

“It gets better.” Tony smirked, biting his lip as he moved towards one of the blank walls of the laboratory, turning so his back was to Bruce and the light was casting a blue glow onto the pale wall.

“What are you doing?”

“Shush,” Tony silenced him, reaching over to the worktop to bring over a small black case. He opened it, and held up the object inside against the arc reactor.

It was a small circle of cellophane, cut out to the exact size of the arc reactor, and scribbled backwards on it were the words ‘Will you go to prom with me?’. When Tony held it up against his arc reactor, the opaque words were shown (right way round) against the wall. “You’ve got to admit,” Tony smirked after a moment, breaking the silence, “using myself as a projector is pretty creative.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Bruce uttered, moving to switch the light on before standing in front of Tony.

“Well, yes would have been nice, but turning the lights back on sorta tells me you mean the other thing.”

“Tony, I want to. I really, really do.”

“But you can’t. Is this the whole ‘not a party person’ thing?” Tony asked, removing the cellophane from his arc reactor and running a hand through his hair, a little embarrassed.

“No... It’s the whole ‘I hit Loki in the face and got myself suspended’ thing.” Bruce muttered, taking one of Tony’s hands in his. “I’d love to go to prom with you, but I’m not allowed. Fury is a massive asshole who doesn’t like to see people having fun.”

“... He can barely see anything outta that eye of his,” Tony smirked. “Okay, okay, I get it. So... You can’t come to prom. Not a problem. We’ll just spend the day at mine then?”

“What? No.”

“What?”

“Tony... It’s prom, for god’s sake. You’ve _got_ to go. People are expecting you to turn up, to make a statement. That’s your thing. I want you to go. Enjoy yourself.” Bruce murmured, squeezing Tony’s hand gently. “Don’t deny yourself fun because of me.”

“I can just go next year. With you. That’s the beauty of two proms, big guy.”

“I still think you should go. Then you get to have one prom as the flirty, witty rich kid that everyone thinks you are, and then you get to have another as the Tony I know.”

“Bruce, I-“

“No, I’ve made up my mind, Tony. You’re not giving something up just because I’m not allowed to do it. You’re going. I’ll drive you there myself if I have to.”

“You can’t drive.”

“That’s so not the point.”

“It sort of is, Bruc-“

“You’re going. Okay?” Bruce spoke sternly. Tony raised an eyebrow and licked his lips in thought.

“God, I love it when you get all dominant,” he purred, biting his lip. Bruce rolled his eyes and let go of Tony’s hand.

“Right, well I’m gonna go be dominant with my chemistry homework now so... Don’t stay up all night playing with the reactor,” he chuckled softly as he took a few steps back from Tony to grab his schoolbag from beside the door, slinging it over his shoulder.

“I always play with myself. And I can guarantee I’ll be thinking of you.”

“You’re unappeasable.” Bruce smirked as he left the lab, leaving Tony standing shirtless by the worktop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The teasing is driving me insane. It's getting interesting guys. Arhghghghg.
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated.


	9. Loner of the Year

Text Log: Friday, 19:04.

 

Hey, jackass, I spoke to Clint. Got an idea for prom. – NR

Humour me. – TS

Well, if your Dad’s gonna freak if you go with Bruce, Clint’s agreed that he can turn up with Banner and I’ll go in the car with you. You can have the prom picture with me as well so your Dad doesn’t suspect anything. What do you think? – NR

Tasha, I’m flattered. But it’s alright. You and Robin Hood can go in your own car. I’m going by myself. – TS

Banner shot you down? – NR

Banner got himself banned. – TS

Damn. Ah well. We’ll entertain you. Still having the after prom party though, right? – NR

Yeah. And the big guy will be there so it’s not all bad. – TS

Great. Well I’ll see you tomorrow then. Gotta go pick up my dress. Cya. – NR

Ciao. – TS

 

* * *

 

 

Tony arrived fashionably late, as usual. The prom started at roughly seven, but he didn’t make it until eight – after much deliberation, he’d opted to drive his own favourite silver Audi instead of one of his Dad’s cars – and was wearing a black suit with a wine red shirt, the blue glow of the arc reactor just visible through the fabric, but he tried to hide it a little with a black tie. When he got there, everyone was still crowded outside taking pictures with each other, so he quickly made his way over to Clint and Natasha.

“Wow... You look absolutely gorgeous,” he smiled when he got there. “Seriously, your hair’s perfect, your skin is flawless, the make-up is so subtle but has such an impact... I think I’ve fallen in love with you. And Natasha, you look okay, I suppose,” he smirked, even when she punched him in the shoulder and Clint batted his eyelashes.

“Most girls want to feel safe and protected, but she’s the one who’ll beat the crap out of you, not me.” Clint grinned, straightening up the purple tie of his suit – which conveniently matched the floor-length strapless dress Natasha was wearing.

“Well I’m glad you came along and distracted her when you did, Legolas, because if I had to be the punching bag for another few years, I think I would have filed for a restraining order,” Tony chuckled, turning to look at Natasha and pulling her into a hug, kissing her cheek. “In all seriousness though, you do look gorgeous, Tasha.”

“Not too bad yourself; I’m loving the red shirt, by the way. We’re going in to grab a table. You coming?” she asked, running a hand over the flyaway strands of hair that were sticking out from her elegant up do.

“Save me a seat, guys. I’ll be in in a sec... Just gonna go check out Steve and Thor’s dates,” he smirked, patting Clint’s shoulder before walking past them to where he could see the team Captain, surrounded by a trio of girls. He looked himself up and down to make sure his suit was immaculate before walking between two of the girls and putting his arms across their shoulders. “So, Cap, which of these three _beautiful_ ladies have you brought as your date tonight?”

“Uh, well,” he murmured, a sight blush tingeing his cheeks, “They all wanted to come to the prom with me, but I couldn’t choose so-“

“Whoa... Steve, you player!” Tony smirked, raising an eyebrow. “You’ve done me proud, spandex,” he grinned, before turning his attention to the girls beside him. “See, he’s been taking some tips from the master over here. You ladies come and tell me if he starts being a drag, okay? I’m free _all_ night.” The one to his right giggled slightly, while the other looked like she was rolling her eyes. Tony didn’t particularly care seeing as it was an empty threat – he didn’t want any of these girls to join him at all. “So, Steve, you treat these girls right, okay?”

“Of course.” Steve nodded, running a hand through his perfectly coiffed hair. “I’m always on my best behaviour,” he smiled – that dazzling smile that he didn’t even know he had. The girl that Tony wasn’t touching looked like she was going to rip Steve’s clothes off at any minute.

_Time to get outta there._

“Right, well I’ll leave you to it. See you in there, girls,” he winked, heading towards the main doors of the school.

 

* * *

 

 

He was immediately faced with the traditional ‘Couple’s Picture’; where some pretentious ‘professional’ (notice the inverted commas) photographer would take a lousy picture of the students and their dates in an embarrassing pose in front of a tacky background. There was a small queue, and although he considered completely skipping the line, he figured he might as well take some kind of token from this travesty of a night. There were two couples in front of him; the first was a tall black guy with a redheaded girl on his arm, and the other was a short, stumpy dark haired boy with a pair of practically identical blonde girls. Upon further inspection, Tony noticed that the girl at the front of the queue was Pepper, who had come to the prom with Rhodey, one of his ‘friends’. He watched with a raised eyebrow as they positioned themselves for the photo – Pepper standing with her back straight, her clutch bag in her hands as she smiled sweetly at the camera, and Rhodey stood beside her, flexing his muscles like a Class A douchebag. The photographer pointed them in the direction of his ‘assistant’ who was manning a computer so they could choose and print out their picture.  Tony sighed softly as the queue moved forward, and the next group took their place. The short guy opted to sit on a stool with a twin on each knee, and he was quickly on his way towards the computer.

“Hello there, I’m Colin, what’s your name?” The photographer asked with an English accent and cheesy grin as he prepared the camera.

“You don’t recognise me? I’m offended. Tony Stark,” he muttered, his brow furrowed.

“Oh gosh, yeah, of course. Alright, yeah, sure. Make yourself comfortable, Stark. Pose any way you want,” Colin nodded. For a minute, Tony thought Colin probably shouldn’t have said that – he really didn’t need the encouragement. He considered asking all the other girls in the building to get in the picture. He considered putting his arm out, as if holding an imaginary person and photo-shopping a picture of Bruce in later. He considered going full on James Bond and pointing his fingers as a gun at the camera.  In the end, he decided to just fold his arms in front of the camera and look into it, an eyebrow raised.

“Hit me up, Colin,” he smirked, not even flinching when the camera flashed – he was used to flashing cameras and paparazzi.

“Thank you, Tony. Please, go see my friend over there – she’ll charge you the necessary amount,” Colin smiled, before turning his attention to the next pair in the queue.

 

* * *

 

 

When Tony had finally picked up his photo, he moved over to the table where Clint and Natasha were sitting, noticing that Thor had joined them. He was wearing a navy blue suit with a crisp white shirt and – was that a toile de jouy tie? ... That’s kinda hideous. It was only as Tony properly approached the table that he noticed Thor was sat beside a dark haired girl in a royal blue dress.

“Well hello there.” Tony grinned as he leaned over the table, taking the girl’s hand in his and pressing a kiss to the back of it. “And you are?”

“Oh... I’m Jane,” she smiled sweetly, charmed by Tony’s charisma.

“Tony Stark. And where has Thor been hiding you, exactly?” he asked, taking a seat in-between Jane and Natasha and looking over at Thor with his eyebrows raised, expecting an answer.

“In the closet with his little brother,” Clint muttered under his breath, and Natasha jabbed him in the ribs.

“Jane lives in New Mexico, back where I lived before I moved to New York.” Thor bellowed over the music that was pounding away in the background. Clint’s brow furrowed.

“You’re from New Mexico? Why do you talk like you’re from an Elizabethan play?”

“I am not _originally_ from New Mexico, Barton. I ended up there... It’s a very long story, one I would rather not tell,” he muttered. Jane leaned into his side gently and he put an arm around her. Thor, Clint and Jane then began talking amongst themselves as Natasha turned to face Tony.

“Do you want to dance with me? I doubt you’ll get a chance after Clint’s got his hands on me,” she smirked.

“I don’t wanna touch you. I might get cooties or something.” Tony grinned, running a hand through his hair. “Nah, you go ahead. Take Katniss here with you. I’ll just watch longingly from the sidelines and give you a score out of ten like it’s Dancing with the Stars.” She nudged into his side gently before walking over to Clint’s chair, grabbing him softly and taking him to the dance floor as one of the slower songs came on.

“Jane, would you care to dance with me?” Thor asked, turning to the girl by his side. Jane turned to look at Tony for a moment.

“You don’t mind, do you? I’d hate to leave you here by yourself.”

“Hey, I’m gonna head over to the buffet in a minute and eat away all my sadness so, no... You guys knock yourselves out,” he smiled, and she smiled back as she stood from her chair. Thor had his brow furrowed again so Tony rolled his eyes and said, “Not literally, Point Break.” He smiled then, and ushered Jane towards the dance floor, placing his bear-paw sized hands on her waist as they swayed to the music. Tony sighed to himself, propping his head up on his hand as he watched all his friends dancing with a look of boredom on his face.

 

* * *

 

 

After a short while, he made his way over to the buffet table, not even bothering to pick up a paper plate as he picked at a few of the assorted snacks and crackers.

“Hey,” a soft voice murmured from beside him, and he turned to see Pepper. He hadn’t really spoken to her since the break-up, and although she’d apparently been at his party, he’d been too drunk to tell. He vaguely remembered Bruce telling him how she’d wandered into the lab while Tony was drunkenly molesting Banner, but he hadn’t had a conversation with her in a good few months.

“Hey, Pep. You enjoying yourself?” he asked, still chewing the Cheetos he’d stuffed into his mouth.

“Yeah, I came with Rhodey and he’s not too bad. Bit of an ass but y’know... Who’s your date?”

“Came by myself.”

“Oh,” she mumbled shyly.

 “Shouldn’t you be dancing? All the other couples are up on the floor.” Tony shrugged, turning to face her properly now that his mouth was empty.

“Well, me and Rhodey aren’t really together so... I didn’t want to. I mean, I don’t really like him like that,” she shrugged, still gripping onto her clutch bag as they fell into an awkward silence. Tony grabbed another handful of Cheetos from the buffet and crammed a couple into his mouth. “Do... Do you wanna dance? ... With me?” Tony froze. Pepper had literally just said that she wouldn’t dance with Rhodey because she didn’t have feelings for him... but she wanted to dance with Tony so that meant...

“Uh... Sorry, Pep. I’m not sticking around for long.” Tony spluttered, dropping the Cheetos he’d been fondling back into the bowl and rubbing his hands together to get rid of the dust. “I’ll see you later, maybe?” he smiled as he backed away slowly, leaving her standing bashfully by the buffet table. He staggered back towards the table and sat there patiently for a few minutes, considering his options; stay here, watching his friends have a good time while he sat there all glum and moody like Eeyore; or leave, and make himself useful elsewhere. He knew exactly what he needed to do. He stood up slowly and began walking towards the dance floor to finding Clint and Natasha, and the redhead lifted her head from Clint’s shoulder to look up at the genius who had bounded over to them.

“What do you want? You’re not joining in, Tony. Clint’s mine.” she muttered, an eyebrow raised.

 “Sorry to ruin the moment, lovebirds, but I think I’m gonna go. This really isn’t for me and I’ve got... more important things to do. Party starts at mine at ten, okay?”

“Where are you going?” Natasha asked, her arms still snaked around Clint’s neck as she looked at Tony.

“Where do you think I’m going?” A grin crept across her face.

“Go get ‘em, champ,” she smirked, and Tony clapped them both on the back before sprinting off the dance floor and back out of the doors to start up his car.

“What’s he doing?” Clint asked with a frown.

“He’s finally gonna make an honest woman of Banner,” she grinned, leaning up to press her lips to Clint’s.

 

* * *

 

 

Clunk.

 _What the hell?_ Bruce thought, sitting at his desk and slaving over a physics textbook, even though he knew it off by heart and could easily quote it backwards.

Clunk.

_Seriously what is that?_

“Bruce!” Tony’s voice called up from outside his bedroom window, followed by another ‘clunk’ as another pebble hit the glass. Bruce smiled to himself as he padded over to the window, sliding it up and leaning out to see the familiar silver Audi in his driveway, and a very attractive young man in a suit standing gormlessly on his front lawn.

“I’m sort of offended that I’m immediately the girl in this relationship, being ‘Juliet’ on the balcony and all,” he grinned. “You look gorgeous – that red shirt is really your colour. Shouldn’t you be at prom?”

“I couldn’t stay there. Steve freakin’ Rogers came with _three_ girls and I was standing there like I was waiting for my ‘Loner of the Year’ award. What are you doing anyway?” Tony shouted up to the window.

“Reading my physics book. Again.”

“Newton? Bruce, you could probably re-write that, but better.”

“Well, it is a life-goal of mine to create such compelling physics papers that the future generations will substitute them for porn,” he smirked.

“I totally would if you read them aloud. Your voice is like melted butter, big guy.”

“Audio book porn? I take it you’ll be buying them all and playing them on repeat.”

“You know me too well,” Tony grinned, loosening his tie and undoing his top button.

“Might give you a discount on the box set, because I’m a good person. Anyway, my Dad’s asleep and we’d better not wake him up ‘cause he’ll... well, I’m sure you can guess. Stay there, I’ll come down,” he murmured, closing the window and padding down the stairs. He emerged at the front door and trudged over to Tony, his hands in the pockets of the green hoodie he was wearing. “Well... I look terrible compared to you.” Bruce chuckled softly, noting Tony’s extravagant suit while he was still wearing sweatpants and an old t-shirt.

“Of course you don’t. You never do. I just needed to see you. I feel like I needed to tell you how I really felt because I haven’t had a chance yet.” Tony muttered, looking down at his shoes for a moment.

“Well... Go on then.” Bruce smiled, although his brow was a little furrowed – he thought he already knew how Tony felt.

“I just...” Tony wavered off a little, scratching the back of his head almost awkwardly. _Where to begin?_ “I want to spend every moment of every day with you. I want you to stay over at my house on school nights and watch crappy movies and order vegetarian pizza because you’re a massive eco-warrior. I want you to never have to stay in that crappy camp bed again because you should be sleeping in my bed with me every single night. I never want you to come back to this dump because you really don’t deserve to be treated the way that your douchebag of a Dad treats you. I want to give you lifts to and from school, and hold your hand while we’re driving even though I should be concentrating on the road. I want to be able to walk through the hallways at school with my arm around your waist, not giving a flying fuck about what anyone else thinks because you’re you and I’m me and I care about you more than anything. I want to wake up on Saturday mornings and race you down to my lab to science with yo-“

“You just used ‘science’ as a verb again.”

“Not the point. I want to have lazy Sundays with you, just cuddling you and holding you and kissing you and loving you the way you deserve to be loved. I want to be able to talk to you like a proper human being, instead of flirting my way in and out of every situation because I don’t actually know how to communicate. I wanna lay with you on the sofa with your head in my lap, playing with your hair as we watch re-runs of ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’. I wanna take-“

“Tony.”

“-you out for meals, and not just shawarma but wherever you wanna go, whenever you wanna go. I wanna write you soppy poems even though I can’t rhyme-“

“Tony.”

“-words together because I might have the IQ of Stephen Hawking but I’m shit when it comes to romance. I want to be able to-“

“Tony!” Bruce shouted, putting a hand on either side of Tony’s face.

“Yeah?”

“Shut up,” he smirked, leaning forward to crush their lips together, warm and soft and tender. Tony smiled against his lips, but wasted no time in wrapping one arm around Bruce’s waist and letting his other hand card into those crazy curls on the top of his head, holding him close as he kissed him back. After a few moments, Bruce pulled away and rested his forehead against Tony’s, smiling gingerly as he looked into Tony’s eyes.

“I wish I could spend all night doing this but I’ve still gotta host the after prom party,” Tony sighed.

“I’ll grab a bag. I’m staying at yours tonight and we can have one of those lazy Sunday mornings you talked about,” Bruce grinned, biting his lip gently before leaning forward to kiss Tony again. Tony nipped at Bruce’s bottom lip before pulling away, moving to take Bruce’s hands in his own.

“You get your things and we’ll head back now. I think we’ve got a few hours before the others turn up,” he winked, squeezing Bruce’s hands before turning him around and pushing him back towards the house while he stood there on the lawn with his head spinning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES. The moment we've been waiting for. It's about bloody time.
> 
> Bonus points for anyone who notices the Harry Potter reference.
> 
> Kudos and comments?


	10. A Token of My Devotion

****

“How long have we been waiting here now?” Clint huffed, frustrated as he stood in front of Tony’s front door. Natasha looked at the watch on her wrist.

“About fifteen minutes,” she shivered. Clint had given her his suit jacket to wear, shielding her from the cold night air, but it was still freezing. “Try the doorbell again.”

“I’ve tried. A dozen times. Have you called him?”

“His phone’s off.”

“Have you tried Banner’s phone?”

“His is off too,” she sighed.

“Great.” Clint muttered, running a hand through his hair. “Well this is the lamest party I’ve ever been to. But it doesn’t look like it’s much of a party anyway seeing as we’re the only guests waiting to get in. Shouldn’t his parents at least be home or something?”

“What, when they know he’s throwing a party? Fat chance. His Dad will probably be home before the party’s meant to finish though. He’s an ass like that.” Natasha sighed, putting her arm around Clint’s waist to steal his body heat. “Tony’ll probably just be ignoring us for a bit. I’m sure he’ll come to the door when he’s finished doing... whatever he’s doing,” she muttered, watching as a red car pulled up in the driveway beside them, and Thor stepped out. He offered them a quick smile before walking around to the passenger side to open the door for Jane – ever the gentleman.

“Hello, friends. Has Tony not invited you into his home yet?” he asked with a furrowed brow as he led Jane towards the porch.

“No. He’s ignoring us, by the looks of it. Natasha’s _convinced_ that he’ll come out soon but we’ve been here for nearly twenty minutes so...” Clint shrugged.

“That is unfortunate.”

“Well, if it gets to half an hour, I’m just gonna go home.”

“No you’re not. I say we’re staying, so we’re staying, okay?” Natasha ordered, turning to face Clint before turning her attention back to Jane and offering her a smile. “Sorry about him. He’s a dick.”

“Hey!”

“Oh no, it’s fine. I think it’s a guy thing. Thor’s a bit of a jackass too.” Jane agreed, and Thor frowned, looking over to Clint who sighed exasperatedly. The archer turned towards the door and rang the doorbell again, before knocking frantically on the door itself.

“For the love of God... Why say you’re gonna hold a party, if you’re not gonna let any of the fucking guests in?” Clint huffed, folding his arms across his chest and leaning against the doorframe.

“Lady Jane, you must be cold. Here, take my jacket as a token of my devotion to you.” Thor smiled softly as he shed his suit jacket and draped it over Jane’s shoulders. She smiled gently and leaned up to press a kiss to his cheek.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

“You stole the idea from me.” Clint grumbled, glaring at Thor playfully, and Thor just beamed at him as if he’d spoken an entirely different language.

“Maybe he’s not in?” Natasha shrugged. “That would explain why he’s not answering.”

“His car’s in the drive, Tasha.”

“He could have walked.”

“Tony Stark doesn’t walk anywhere if he can help it.”

“... Good point.” Just then, the engine of a motorcycle could be heard from down the long winding path to Stark Mansion. The headlight came into view as the motorcycle made its way closer and closer to the house, before finally pulling up to the driveway. Steve’s perfect hair was dishevelled, his top button undone and his tie lying loosely around his neck – not to mention the three different shades of lipstick smeared across his cheeks.

“Hey guys. Is it a garden party?” he smiled as he set the brakes of the motorcycle down and set it against the side of Tony’s house before making his way over to join the others.

“No, Stark’s just being a massive asshole and not letting anyone in.” Natasha sighed.

“I wouldn’t say that, Natasha. I would say that Tony is obviously attending to some highly important business, and I’m sure he’ll be with us shortly.” Thor smiled, wrapping his arm around Jane again to keep her warm.

“My, my, Captain Virginity... And which base did you get to tonight?” Clint smirked, an eyebrow raised as he looked at the make-up which besmirched Steve’s face.

“Well, if you must know, I-“ Steve was cut off as the front door finally opened, to reveal Tony wearing a pair of sweatpants and a Pink Floyd t-shirt, with Bruce stood beside him in a pair of shorts and Tony’s wine red shirt from earlier in the night.

“Sorry, guys... Come in, come in,” Tony grinned, smoothing down his ruffled hair as he stepped back from the door to let his guests in, directing them towards the kitchen. “Help yourselves to drinks and snacks – there’s all sorts of stuff laid out on the table.”

“What took you so long?” Clint grumbled as he padded in through the door, although when he saw the display of alcoholic beverages in the kitchen, the question became irrelevant.

“We were in the lab,” Bruce shrugged, flattening down his own hair which was sticking up in all directions. He closed the door after the last of the five had entered the house and joined them in the kitchen, where they were already stuffing their faces with food.

“You know, if you guys came here just to eat all my food, I’m not letting you come around again.” Tony grinned, leaning against one of the kitchen counters as he watched the group eating; Thor cramming handfuls of Doritos into his mouth at a time; Jane picking daintily at a couple of pretzels; Steve holding a paper plate and loading it with sandwiches and potato chips; Clint too distracted by the concept of actual alcohol to even _care_ about the food, and Natasha stood beside him with her arms folded, narrowing her eyes at Tony.

“Hey guys, grab your plates and come through to the living room. We can all sit and stick a movie on or something. Or you can tell me how prom went!” Bruce smiled, gesturing back towards the hallway. Jane took the opportunity to introduce herself to Bruce as they walked back towards the lounge, Steve following closely behind, and Thor eventually made his way after them, carrying two different bowls of potato chips and a whole bag of popcorn. Natasha moved her gaze from Tony to Clint, who looked back at her and rolled his eyes – that look meant ‘give me a minute to get the gossip’. Tony got the hint.

“Here, Katniss, catch this,” he muttered, before throwing a beer in Clint’s direction. The archer caught it in one hand, and Tony raised an eyebrow. “Wow, with skills like that, you should join the circus.” Tony smirked. Clint twisted the cap off before silently moving to the other room, despite the glare he was giving Tony. Natasha waited until she could hear all four voices in the other room before walking around the table towards Tony.

“So... It went well then,” she smiled.

“What makes you say that?” he asked, moving towards the table to pour himself a drink.

“Oh I don’t know, maybe the fact that he’s wearing your shirt, and you both have a massive line of hickeys up your necks,” Natasha grinned. “I’m not stupid. I’ve told you before, I know everything.” Tony smirked to himself as he took a sip of the scotch from his glass.

“Okay, yeah. It went well. Very well. He’s staying over tonight, and then tomorrow we’re gonna... discuss the nature of our relationship.”

“... And by ‘discuss’ you mean... have sex in every room in the house?”

“Absolutely.”

“Knew it,” she smirked, nudging into his side again. “Honestly though, I’m happy for you. It’s about time you two got your shit together.”

“I know. Come on... We should get back to the others before Clint starts getting jealous.” Tony smiled, looping an arm across Natasha’s shoulders and guiding her back towards the living room. When they got there, Thor was lying on the floor in front of the TV watching ‘Aladdin’, still cramming as many items of food into his mouth as he possibly could, while Steve was sat beside him fascinated by the animation. Clint was sitting on the couch, his bottle already drained and he reached out for Natasha as soon as she entered the room – so she went to sit beside him, cuddling into his side. Stood over in the corner, Jane and Bruce had already bonded over their love of science and were discussing the phenomena of quantum mechanics. Tony leaned against the doorframe, watching fondly for a moment before he went over to join them. He sat down in the armchair near where Bruce was standing and pulled him backwards so the other boy was seated in his lap, although it didn’t disrupt the flow of conversation, and instead, Jane stationed herself on the arm of the chair so she could see both of them, involving Tony in their astrophysics debate. When Jane and Tony got talking about Schrödinger’s cat, Bruce took the opportunity to look around the room briefly and smiled to himself as he saw everyone getting along and watching the film.

What did he need his Dad for? His family was right here.

 

* * *

 

 

It wasn’t until about half twelve that Howard and Maria Stark got home. Tony didn’t bother asking where they’d gone, partly because he didn’t care, and partly because they wouldn’t tell him anyway. Bruce moved from Tony’s lap to the arm of the armchair, looking a little more casual when Howard came into the room.

“Hey guys.” Howard waved towards them all, and Jane – who had never met the man – squealed out loud and threatened to fall from the chair. Howard’s brow furrowed but he didn’t question it; he was used to having fans, but Jane was the first teenage girl who’d obviously shown an interest in his work. He flashed her an award winning grin before looking around all the faces in the room to see exactly who had turned up to his son’s little get-together.

“Hello, Mr Stark,” they all muttered, not quite in unison – but it would have been creepy if they had.

“Steve!” Howard beamed when he noticed the captain of the football team sitting cross-legged on the floor, and held a hand out to him to shake. “I haven’t seen you since you were tiny,” he grinned. “My, you’ve gotten big. And a firm grip too.”

“Thank you, sir. I do try.” Steve smiled, a slight blush tingeing his cheeks (it wasn’t the lipstick; Natasha had made sure she wiped that off for him when she got the chance).

“Right, well I’ll leave you all to it. Don’t stay up all night, kids,” Howard nodded, before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

“Your... your Dad is Howard Stark? _The_ Howard Stark? Engineer Howard Stark? Science _King_ Howard Stark?” Jane bumbled, her eyes wide.

“Did the surname not give it away?” Bruce asked, a smile on his face as he slid back into Tony’s lap with ease.

“I thought it was coincidence!”

“The mansion? The charming good looks? The insanely high levels of intelligence? None of that hinted that the Howard Stark in New York might be the father of the Tony Stark in New York?” Tony muttered with his brow furrowed. Jane just shrugged.

“No, but I just... I... I’m gonna need his autograph before I leave.”

“You’d better go get it now then. He won’t want to be disturbed after he’s gone up those stairs.” Tony chuckled, and Jane pushed herself from her seat on the armchair to chase after Howard.

“Guys, please... Can we turn Aladdin off now?” Clint sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. “This is the third time we’ve watched it through. Steve’s gonna start quoting it in a minute.”

“Silence, Barton. We’re getting to the most commendable part!” Thor boomed, before turning his attention back to the screen. “ _Shining, shimmering, splendid,_ ” he sang softly, “ _Tell me princess, now when did you last let your heart decide.._.”

“Oh my god.” Clint grumbled, turning to face Natasha and burying his face into her shoulder. She ran a hand through his hair lovingly as she turned to grin at Tony, Thor still singing away in the background.

“I think I’d better get him home before he hits Thunderbolt over there,” she chuckled, slowly standing from the couch and pulling Clint to his feet. “Come on, pigeon, let’s go. Thanks for the party Tony.” And with that, she led him out of the house.

“Anyone else wanna leave? Totally cool if you do.” Tony shrugged, playing fondly with the curls on Bruce’s head.

“I’ll probably go soon – I don’t want to be a burden.” Steve smiled softly.

“Oh, Spandex, you’re not a burden! But yeah, please leave.” Tony muttered, and Bruce elbowed him the ribs.

“Ignore him, Steve. You can stay as long as you like. Thor, when are yo-“

“Silence!” Thor bellowed, his eyes fixed on the screen.

“I know I just want to know when you’re go-“

“Silence!” Bruce sighed and turned back to Tony.

“We’ll kick him out once this showing of the film is over,” he chuckled softly, his arms still around Tony’s neck.

“Good idea.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Bye! See you on Monday!” Tony grinned, waving Thor and Jane off as they pulled out of his driveway, followed quickly by Steve on his motorbike, who flashed them a smile as he drove off. “Thank fuck for that,” he huffed, closing the door and turning to face Bruce, pulling him close for a kiss. “Finally got you all to myself.”

“Not just yet... There’s something I need you to do before you can whisk me off upstairs again,” Bruce smirked, although his arms were wrapped tightly around Tony’s neck.

“Right and what’s that?”

“Open your birthday present. It’s still down in your lab where I left it last time you had a party. I saw it earlier.”

“Really? I still haven’t opened that?... Jeez, I’m a shitty boyfriend.” Tony huffed.

“Well, technically we were still only friends then, so I’ll let you off.” Bruce grinned, pressing a quick kiss to Tony’s nose before he grabbed his hand and pulled him downstairs towards the lab.

Once they were in Tony’s laboratory, Bruce let go of his hand and rushed over to one of the worktops at the far end of the room, where he’d left Tony’s present on a shelf the night he’d come to his rescue. He brought it over with a smile and handed it to him, leaning back against the worktop.

“Read the tag first,” he urged, biting his lip gently.

 _  
_“ _’Dear Tony,’_ ”, Tony read as he picked up the package Bruce handed to him, “ _’I hope you like this. All my love, big guy. PS: Why do you call me that? After all this time, my curiosity has finally gotten the better of me.’_... What? You really don’t know?”

“Well, I’ve had that nickname since the start of high school and I never really knew why – I’m not really that much taller than you.” Bruce frowned.

“... Well it wasn’t a nickname for your _height_ , sweetheart,” Tony smirked. Bruce just raised an eyebrow.

“How did you know that when we were twelve?”

“Hey, just because you never paid attention in the showers after gym doesn’t mean I didn’t,” he grinned, biting his lip.

“... Torn between flattered and creeped out, but I think I’ll go for flattered. Now go on... Open it.” Tony grinned back at Bruce before tearing away the wrapping paper to reveal an extremely worn copy of Albert Einstein’s book, ‘ _Relativity: The Special and General Theory_ ’.

“Bruce, I love it... but you know I have a copy of this, right?” he asked, his brow furrowed.

“Hm, not this one,” Bruce grinned, biting his lip still. “Open the cover.” Tony did as he was told and opened the front cover of the book, to reveal a dated creamy-yellow page with a signature on it in black ink. He froze.

“Is this...?”

“Yep.”

“Like, for real..?”

“Yes, Tony.”

“... Did this cost you a mortgage?” Tony asked, looking up from the page to Bruce’s face. “You bought me a copy of Einstein’s book, _signed_ by Einstein, from the 1920’s?”

“Yes. My Dad bought it back when he had some money to his name, while he was working in the lab, but after he got fired, he just sorta... stored it away. I don’t think he’ll miss it much – he’s always too drunk to read a page anyways. But... I figured you’d appreciate it more than he would,” he shrugged, a smug look on his face as he witnessed Tony’s reaction. “You like it?” Tony put the book down on the worktop and moved towards Bruce, cupping his face as he kissed him again, smiling against his lips.

“Robert Bruce Banner, you are perfect,” he grinned.

“Well, you’re not too ba-... How do you know my first name?” Bruce grunted, a frown on his face again.

“Like I said, I pay attention.” Tony winked, leaning in for another kiss. “Come on... Let’s go to bed,” he smirked, biting his lip as he took Bruce’s hand in his and led him back up the stairs towards the main hallway. “JARVIS, lights out.”

And the lab was consumed by darkness; the only visible light, the soft blue glow of Tony’s arc reactor as he guided Bruce out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's all folks. That's it! I'm glad I got this all up. Lemme know what you thought of it altogether - both good and bad feedback is appreciated!
> 
> Thanks so much for reading guys.. and I'm kind of considering doing a sequel set just after college years actually, so let me know your thoughts.


End file.
